[Discuss] Fwd: [d@DCC] [Fwd: "Fair Copyright for Canada - Ottawa Chapter" sent you a message on Facebook...]

[Robert Smits]

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Subject: Copyright Bill Coming....

It is time to gear up for copyright.

We understand that the government will imminently introduce legislation 
to amend the Copyright Act, and wants to push it through quickly.  This 
raises two concerns:  process and substance.

Rushing the legislative process undermines Canadians’ interests.  When 
we do get a copyright bill, we need (1) a period to study the bill, and 
(2) thorough Committee hearings that offer a wide range of stakeholders 
the opportunity to present their views to the Canadian government.  This 
government has chosen not to consult Canadians on copyright.  Therefore, 
it falls to the Committee reviewing the bill to hear from consumers. 
Without comprehensive hearings, the bill has no hope of reflecting 
Canadians’ interest in balanced copyright policy.  We can not let this 
government circumvent that process.

Substantively, all signs suggest that the bill will be a Canadian 
version of the American DMCA with a veneer of consumer concessions.  The 
bill will likely include laws modeled on the DMCA instead of the 
approach adopted by Bill C-60, Canada’s last attempt to legislate these 
kinds of laws, or even on “gentler” versions of such laws, such as New 
Zealand’s.  Consumer concessions may include a time-shifting right and a 
format shifting right, legalizing consumer use of the VCR and iPod after 
all these years.  However, by protecting DRM at the same time, the 
government kills those consumer rights where the content is locked down! 
  Substantively, this bill is likely to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

What can you do?  Advocacy!  Contact your MP – use the advocacy tools at 
http://www.copyrightforcanadians.ca/ and this Facebook group, Fair 
Copyright for Canadians, to make sure Ottawa knows your views.  And get 
others to do so, as well – we’ll need a summer full of copyright 
advocacy to make sure that Ottawa knows that Canada’s copyright laws 
have to put Canadians’ interests first!
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-- 
  Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/>
  Please help us tell the Canadian Parliament to protect our property
  rights as owners of Information Technology. Sign the petition!
  http://www.digital-copyright.ca/petition/ict/

  "The government, lobbied by legacy copyright holders and hardware
   manufacturers, can pry my camcorder, computer, home theatre, or
   portable media player from my cold dead hands!"
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