Angus to Big 4’s Willaert: ‘No way, dude!’
p2pnet news view | P2P | Politics:- Olivia Chow, wife of federal New Democratic Party of Canada leader Jack Layton, is the latest Big 4 record label victim.
On Saturday we ran Students blocked at copyright meeting, which began, “Not only did Vivendi Universal, EMI, Warner Music and Sony Music yobs hijack the Toronto copyright consultation town hall, during the week, ’security` guards stopped students from making their thoughts known.
“Staged (word used advisedly) on Thursday, it was, ’so over-the-top that their message was lost in light of such an obvious orchestrated attempt to stack the deck,’ blogged Ottawa law professor Michael Geist.
The town hall was organised by underlings of heritage minister James Moore and industry minister Tony Clement as part of, “strategically organised public consultations on copyright reform, complete with a website“.
But students weren’t the only ones to be stopped from by rent-a-cop ‘guards’.
“A Toronto MP (who is also NDP leader`s Jack Laytons wife) was also threatened per her twitter and per Michael Geists blog,” says a Reader’s Write.
Says another comment post, “@ above – @michaelgeist: Security also tried to stop me from distributing Charlie Angus` position @copycon TO townhall http://twitter.com/oliviachow/.
Geist had blogged »»»
Yesterday I posted on how security guards outside the Toronto copyright town hall demanded that the Canadian Federation of Students and NDP MP Olivia Chow stop distributing flyers discussing their positions on copyright. It turns out there is further fallout from the incident. Chow was distributing a flyer that included NDP MP Charlie Angus’ interview with Exclaim! on copyright along with “count on me to speak out against Bill C-61 and anti-circumvention rules. I support stronger fair dealing.”
The Angus interview includes comments on the need for forward looking laws, the failed DMC, and the need to ways to monetize online activities.
While none of this is new — MPs like Angus and Chow have been saying this for months — it generated an incredible response from Alan Willaert (right), the Canadian representative of the American Federation of Musicians. Willaert sent the following email to representatives of virtually every major Canadian creator group.
He also quoted Willaert, to wit »»»
Greetings to all.
I am attaching a flyer that was handed out by Olivia Chow at last night`s Copyright Town Hall meeting at the Royal York in Toronto. I am sure all of you will find its content equally as disgusting as I did.
In light of the fact that the NDP at its convention in Halifax this month dealt with a resolution identified as 6-21-09 Expanding Party Policy on Supporting Canadian Creativity, and showed clear support for ensuring appropriate copyright protection so that creators are fairly compensated for their intellectual property, I am shocked that both Chow and Charlie Angus are allowed to openly depart from party policy and directive, obviously just to shamelessly buy votes among young people and academics.
We intend on taking the NDP to task over this, and will accept nothing less than a retraction of Ms Chow`s statements and an apology.
Angus responds to Willaert in BoingBoing (marginally better than responding in Fa$ebook 
), stating, “A copyright lobbyist with the American federation of Musicians is circulating an online e-mail demanding the NDP apologize for our ‘disgusting’ position on balanced copyright.”
He goes on »»»
The attack was caused by Olivia Chow handing out an interview I did with EXCLAIM Magazine on how copyright changes could benefit independent Canadian bands. Exclaim did the interview with me because of my background with DIY bands.
Seems to me the interview is consistent with what the NDP have always said on this file — we want artists to be able to benefit from the massive stream of information being traded but we don’t want average citizens turned into criminals. Here’s Michael Geist’s blog on the attack on us.
I was elected to participate in discussions about public policy. I have never heard of a lobbyist group demand an apology for speaking out about a totally botched piece of legislation like Bill C-61. If they spent less time running e-mail attacks and more time speaking with the various players they might realize that the NDP position has been balanced and consistent from the beginning.
Public recanting to satisfy the C-61 lobby ? – Angus adds.
“Sorry, dude … it ain’t happening.”
Will the CRIA’s CRIA (Canadian Recording Industry Association of America) Graham henderson be up next?
Stay tuned.
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
Students blocked at copyright meeting – Students blocked at copyright meeting, August 29, 2009
blogged – American Federation of Musicians Demand NDP Apology For Supporting Balanced Copyright, August 29, 2009
BoingBoing – American copyright lobby attacks Canadian politicians for supporting balanced copyright, August 29, 2009
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August 31st, 2009 at 9:10 am
This is truly ridiculous. If a Canadian were over in the US right now at Healthcare Townhalls interfering what would happen? How about they would be arrested and deported.
PM Harper, how about doing your job! Get these lobbyists back to their own playground! They do NOT belong here trying to influence the outcome of OUR consultations! They do NOT belong here blocking OUR citizens from OUR RIGHT to be heard!
Want to have another chance at PM and actually do some good for this country? This is a start, stand up, be a man, Chretien would have told them to get out!
August 31st, 2009 at 10:09 am
This is just sickening. Lobbyists apparently are more important to government than actual elected representatives of the people, when in fact they should have negative influence – anything they advocate should be assumed to be against the people and done in the exact opposite fashion.
August 31st, 2009 at 10:23 am
Nothing is more disgusting than these out of touch industry assholes like Alan Willaert. What a piece of shit. Crawl back under your rock with the rest of them. All the legislation in the world will never put the genie back in the bottle.
August 31st, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Disgusting is the right word. And Im not talking about these flyers, but about Alan Willaert, whos trying to forbid free people their right to free speech and expression. Everybody has the right to disagree and talk about what they feel is important to them. Denying them this right by any means is disgusting. And if he is an American lobbyist, what is he doing in Canada anyway?? Throw him out! Oh no by the way.. You cant do that: He has, as well, the right to free speech…