Students blocked at copyright meeting
p2pnet news view | P2P | Politics:- 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.
Heritage minister James Moore and industry minister Tony Clement strategically organised public consultations on copyright reform, complete with a website.
“New copyright legislation must carefully regulate technological protection measures, eliminate Crown copyright and provide a more flexible definition of fair dealing,” says the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario.
But, “Not if we can help it,” say the Big 4, “It’s our way, or no way!”
Thursday’s town hall was one of two, “meant to, “facilitate discussion from hundreds of live participants and online followers,” says the student organisation, going on »»»
Because of the last-minute introduction of a lottery system that did not guarantee those participating the right to speak, students attempted to circulate a flyer detailing their position on copyright reform.
Event organisers used private security guards to prevent the distribution of the flyers, threatening to remove the students from the premises of the hotel where the consultation was being held. The flyers contained an introduction to copyright that provided a summary of the results of campus copyright consultations held by the Canadian Federation of Students throughout Spring 2009.
“It is ironic that while students are concerned that new legislation may allow copyright owners to lock up information, the government is locking up its own consultations,” said CFS chair Shelley Melanson.
Founded in 1981, the Canadian Federation of Students is Canada’s largest student organisation, uniting more that one-half million students in all ten provinces, including more than 300,000 college and university students studying at public post-secondary institutions across Ontario.
(Cheers, Annie)
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
town hall – Big 4 labels hijack 2nd copyright town hall, August 28, 2009
Michael Geist – The Toronto Music Industry Town Hall, August 27, 2009
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August 29th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
fucking fascists.
August 29th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
This is an outrage. Nobody should be kept from distributing flyers in a free society. Doesn’t Canada have any equivalent to the first amendment? Freedom of speech, and the press!
August 29th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
A Toronto MP (who is also NDP leader’s Jack Laytons wife) was also threatened per her twitter and per Michael Geists blog
August 29th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
@ above – @michaelgeist: Security also tried to stop me from distributing Charlie Angus’ position @copycon TO townhall
http://twitter.com/oliviachow/
August 29th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
More is coming out now.
*American Federation of Musicians Demand NDP Apology For Supporting Balanced Copyright*
http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4334/125/
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.
1. Why do these American lobbyists even have a voice at all on a Canadian political Econsultaion?
2. Who the fuq are these American lobbtists to demand an apology from anyone?
3. What is this American lobbists connection to Security threatening Canadian students and a Canadian MP?
The foreign American lobbyists should be told to F off and deported.
August 29th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
More info:
*American copyright lobby attacks Canadian politicians for supporting balanced copyright*
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/08/29/american-copyright-l.html
“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.”
“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.
As for a public recanting to satisfy the C-61 lobby ? Sorry, dude….it ain’t happening. ”
Now, if I was a Torontonian, this woman would have my vote. NO second guessing.
+1
What bugs me the most though, the NDP isn’t moving to further themselves with a possible election around the corner. Who do I have to talk to over there to kick them in gear?
August 30th, 2009 at 1:56 am
Citizen! Your country need you!
The three of freedom need to be watered once again.
The President.
August 30th, 2009 at 2:07 am
“1. Why do these American lobbyists even have a voice at all on a Canadian political Econsultaion?”
They are not Americain Lobbyists:
Vivendi Universal: France, Sony/BMG: Japan/Germany EMI: Britain, Time Warner: US but the CEO is from Canada.
Rupert Murdock is from Autralia!
I don’t see a lot of americans among the conspirators save for few treators such as Diane Fuckstein and Horrible Hack. We should demand accontability to Obama for the few corporate entertainement parasites he loaded in his administration and after promising to keep lobyists away.
August 30th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
They are very much american lobbyists.
They are demanding an apology from the NDP becuase an MP was giving out a Charlie Angus flying:
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/08/29/american-copyright-l.html
“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. ”
Do you think the American federation of Musicians is Canadian?
August 30th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
” They are very much american lobbyists.”
And only american lobbyists are teh evil.
All of this copyright stuff is entirely the fault of americans, and no
other country’s corporations own a piece of the government.
Americans are personally responsible for all of the corruption and corporate evil in
the entire world … and we also drown puppies.
I do congratulate you though. You have successfully deflected attention
away from the point of the article … CORPORATIONS hijacked what was
supposedly an ‘open’ forum, something that’s not supposed to happen in
ANY free society. American lobbyist, candian lobbyist .. so what ?
Ridiculous levels of nationalism divert attention away from the FACT that
Large CORPORATE lobbyists in all countries own the attention of lawmakers,
at everyone elses expense.
The ‘evil american lobbyists’ would not get away with what they did without the
help of Canadian lawmakers ( who get paid by canadian lobbyists ).
August 31st, 2009 at 12:03 am
It doesn’t negate the fact that it is the American’s doing this, and this is only a small little part of the propaganda they have been spewing.
And you are right, they shouldn’t get away with it, but they are a big political hat tipper in the political funds for American interests, this gives them the open doors to the ministers.
Lets us not forgot the plagiarized Conference Board of Canada reports with the American fabricated stats.
Someone needs to just toss these peAmericans out. But as you said, money is buying them in.
August 31st, 2009 at 4:31 am
You don’t understand. The real problem is beyond USA. The real problem is that some corporations are getting so bigs that they are now clearly a major threat to our democracies. We have to destroy these corporations before they destroy our societies and our institutions. These corporation are multinational and it does not matter to them if it is USA, Canada, or somewhere in Europe. Since the US governement is the most corruptable it is normal that these corporations of criminals focus their corrupting activities there.
These parasites are global we have to be global too and fight them together regardless of where we live.
August 31st, 2009 at 8:43 am
And I continue to fight them each and every day by not giving them a penny or a cent. It’s news like this that prevents me from wavering from my course.
August 31st, 2009 at 11:46 am
” It doesnât negate the fact that it is the Americanâs doing this, and this is only a small little part of the propaganda they have been spewing. ”
Which also doesn’t negate the fact that your own government is just a bought in the area of copyright.
It sound to me like you are trying way too hard to point the finger away from your own backyard, working too
hard too get everyone to turn and look in another direction while your own purchased lawmakers slip out of
sight.
What you’re doing is also propoganda. It’s a time honored method of getting people to think their own yard is
clean by pointing a finger at their neighbor. As was pointed out, this is a global issue. Corporations have too
strong a hold on all governments, yours included. You definitely protest too much. Harper hire you ?
August 31st, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Not at all, as stated here: “but they are a big political hat tipper in the political funds”.
Their (Canadian ministers) greasy hands are open for political funding. I Never said the contrary, now did i?