Why Canada Does Not Belong On the US Piracy Watchlist 123
Posted
by
timothy
from the they've-already-boarded-just-look-at-a-map dept.
from the they've-already-boarded-just-look-at-a-map dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Each year, the U.S. government places Canada on its piracy watch list,
claiming that it is a pirate country similar to China or Russia. This
year, Professor Michael Geist and Public Knowledge teamed up to respond to
myths about Canadian copyright law with a submission
to the USTR focusing on how Canadian law provides adequate and
effective protection, how
enforcement is stronger than often claimed, why Canada is not a piracy
haven, and why Bill C-11 does not harm the interests of rights holders
(critics of Bill C-11 digital lock rules will likely think this is
self-evident)."
Simple - Politics (Score:5, Interesting)
(Posting AC because I'm at work)
The reason Canada is on the piracy watch list is simple - Canadian politicians want us to be there so they can have a reason to craft draconian laws that appease big media's wishes. Really, it's that simple - it's political manoeuvring in an effort to get the public to support legislation that is "clearly needed" because, you know, we're on the US's piracy watch list so things must be bad in Canada! We need to fix it. Now just accept these laws that allow warrantless searches and other things that are obscene so I can get my phat payoff cash from Big Media Corp.
Really, it's that simple. And pathetic.
Re:Simple - Politics (Score:2, Interesting)
Really, it's that simple. And pathetic.
Yep. Part of the wikileaks cables specifically confirmed this. People who were working for Harper, but were supposed to be working for Canada, asked the United States to add Canada to that list for just the reason you gave.
In other words.... (Score:3, Interesting)
Canada is now on the "United States's Bitch List" as you guys do what we tell you.
Honestly, I cant believe that my country is strong arming everyone on this planet into catering to a few small Organized crime operations.
Re:Canada should strive to be on every list like t (Score:4, Interesting)
" Canada, as a raw material and energy exporter, needs to allow its currency to be set by the market..."
What the hell are you talking about?!? Canada's currency is a freely floating one and has been for a few decades. It's one of the few countries on the planet that has a completely floating exchange rate. As for natural resources we have a time honored tradition of selling it abroad. The oil sands in Alberta being the latest.
Re:Not sure that was really discussing piracy... (Score:4, Interesting)
No. Canada has some explicit "fair use" exceptions in our copyright legislation. It's still illegal to distribute widely.
You can't just give away copies of digital things willy nilly, but you can make a rip of a CD your friend loans you. Though, if the current government have their way, breaking any form of 'digital lock' would become a criminal offense, even if it's to exercise your existing rights.
And, since the media companies insisted on it, we pay a levy on blank recordable media. So, to many of us, they've already secured payment from us. So I don't particularly care if I rip a CD -- though, I generally prefer to buy them so I have a physical copy that I rip. They've got their piracy slush fund, so fuck 'em.
He points out that "illegal camcording had largely disappeared from the Canadian market", so I'm not sure why you're claiming it's widespread. He's also talking about how Canada has a thriving digital music market place, which means people are buying music here. Hell, I've bought several hundred CDs over the last bunch of years ... but, I know I'm likely the exception.
And, I wouldn't be so quick to accuse Geist of confusing correlation and causation ... he's a law professor who studies this kind of stuff in depth. He's not some n00b who makes a habit of bad logic.
Re:Simple - Politics (Score:5, Interesting)
Yes, we need an "artist exploitation watchlist", so that Elvis Costello [nme.com] and Motörhead [msn.com] don't have to go out and publically WARN their fans against buying over-priced box sets made to line the pockets of record company executives.
Re:Conservatives to bring law in line with the U.S (Score:5, Interesting)
It's fine to blame the Liberals (or the most-recent government of a different party) for laws they passed and screwed up and the current government has to fix, but stop blaming the Liberals for legislation that never passed. If the Conservatives thought it was a bad bill, they wouldn't have resurrected it.
And FYI, many Liberal supporters fought against those bills when the Liberals introduced them. Why can't Conservative supporters stop blindly supporting bills and laws just because they're backed by Conservatives? Are they that blind that they MUST unwaveringly follow their leader in all things?
C-30 was backpedaled on not because of massive public outcry, because the Harper Conservatives are used to ignoring that. What they AREN'T used to is a significant number of their base vocally and publicly turning on them. Even Sun News, the far-right news outlet that almost always supports the Conservative agenda, called Toews "an idiot" and said the bill was indefensible ("in its current form").