Don’t repeat US mistake, CLA tells Prentice
p2pnet news | Freedom:- Another group of Canadians is demanding federal industry minister Jim Prentice thinks hard before making another move to introduce DMCA-like copyright legislation which would do more for the US movie and music industries than Canadians.
Don’t neglect the rights of consumers, says the Canadian Library Association (CLA), Canada’s largest national library association, outlining the fears of more that 21 million library users and member librarians.
“Our members are hearing from a growing chorus of public library users that copyright laws must reflect the public interest,” says CLA executive director Don Butcher.
Were it not for an unprecedented online protest which even Prentice couldn’t ignore, the Canadian DMCA would have been tabled by now.
DMCA is short for Digital Millennium Copyright Act, a US bill many believe was initially crafted by the entertainment industy behind closed doors and which is now used predominantly by the cartels as a weapon against consumers.
Among other things, it criminalizes the production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services which bypass DRM —- (Digital Restrictions Management) consumer control.
‘Any new copyright legislation must be carefully crafted’
The Conservatives suggested in their Throne Speech in October that the CDMCA would be introduced almost immediately. But Ottawa law professor Michael Geist opened a Facebook group which quickly acquired many thousands of members.
Then a group organised by ‘Ideas Revolutionary’ Kempton Lam confronted Prentice in Calgary, Alberta (upper right), forcing the government to step sharply back.
Says the CLA’s Butcher, “As a result of this public debate and feedback, CLA is making public its core issues that it wants to see in any new copyright legislation,.
“As the voice of library users and professionals, we have an obligation to let the Government know that copyright issues are striking a cord with average Canadians and that this is an issue that will impact any election.
“Any new copyright legislation must be carefully crafted so that it punishes copyright-infringing behaviour but does not ban devices that might be used to circumvent technological prevention measures.
“Technological measures can be used to invade privacy and prevent Canadians from invoking their rights.”
‘Canadians pay multiple times for the same information’
In a letter to Prentice and heritage minister Josée Verner released today, “The legislation must protect Canadians who are merely upholding their rights,” says Butcher, going on:
The Government needs to recognize that government documents and government data belong to all Canadians and that all Canadians should have liberal access to these materials.
Crown copyright rules can mean Canadians pay multiple times for the same information. The increased costs are barriers to learning.”
Persons with perceptual disabilities must have the same right to access copyrighted materials as all Canadians have. This right should apply regardless of format in order to accommodate their particular needs. Legislation is required to give persons with perceptual disabilitiesaccess equity with others.
Digital information is extraordinarily useful in overcoming physical, learning and perceptual disabilities.
This is a real opportunity to level the playing field.
Libraries oppose legislation that makes the same mistakes as the American Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
American law makes no differentiation in penalty between a counterfeiter circumventing technical protection measures for illegal profit and an individual circumventing technical protection measures to make a single copy.
Even one of the architects of the DMCA has admitted it is flawed legislation.
Let’s not make the same mistakes.
Parliament is on a break until next January and we understand no date has yet been set for tabling the bill in 2008.
Meanwhile, it’s a certainty Washington is doing all it can to stiffen the spines of the Conservatives caught, as they are, between the rock of public interest and the hard place of US corporate demands.
Stay tuned.
Also See:
CLA – 21 Million Library Users Concerned About Copyright, December 21, 2007
unprecedented online protest – Jim Prentice vs Canadians, December 21, 2007
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December 21st, 2007 at 3:52 pm
Hi Jon
Just wanted to say keep up the good work
Happy holidays
December 21st, 2007 at 5:53 pm
“Our members are hearing from a growing chorus of public library users that copyright laws must reflect the public interest,” says CLA executive director Don Butcher.
That is how things are supposed to work. Unfortunately in the real world, politicians and governments are influenced mainly by campaign / party contributions; of which the content industries comprise the majority of the contributors.
So it’s not so much “of the people, for the people”, but rather, “of the people, for the highest bidder”.
December 21st, 2007 at 6:55 pm
“Among other things, it criminalizes the production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services which bypass DRM —- (Digital Restrictions Management) consumer control.”
So by this definition my cd player coupled with a cable from player to microphone port on my pc, and any media playing program would be illegal. What a strange concept. Before too much longer it will be a copyright violation to take a photograph of my dog sitting on my front lawn.
December 21st, 2007 at 8:42 pm
“it will be a copyright violation to take a photograph of my dog sitting on my front lawn.”
Yes, because the dog look is copyrighted and the dog itself patented by god.
Ha!