Canada attacked again as ‘pirate haven’
p2pnet news view P2P | Politics:- “Canada has earned a dubious distinction as a world hub for illegitimate file-sharing websites and a leader in Internet piracy,” writes Barrie McKenna in the Golbe & Nail.
Actually, it hasn’t ‘earned’ anything of the sort.
The allegation follows relentless junque-posts in the mainstream media planted there by hard-core corporate music lobbyists such as Barry Sookman (right), quoted in McKenna’s piece as though he (Sookman or McKenna, take your choice) is a credible and reliable source of information.
Another lobby outfit with blatantly vested interests and which loses no opportunity to tear into Canada is the IIPA.
“Canada’s chronic failure to modernize its copyright regime has made it a global hub for bootleg movies, pirated software and tiny microchips that allow video-game users to bypass copyright protections, the International Intellectual Property Alliance complains in a submission to the U.S. government,” said an earlier Gloat & Flail shock horror story written by, you guessed it, Barrie McKenna.
The industry, “paints a grim picture of Canada as a country where copyright pirates operate with impunity because of lax laws, poor enforcement and a laissez-faire attitude,” it said, also saying:
“The time has come for the United States to send a stern warning to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government, which has failed to deliver on a promised overhaul of copyright laws and a policing crackdown, said the Washington-based group that represents companies such as Microsoft, Apple and Paramount Pictures.”
Now, “Canada is viewed as a pirate haven,” the latest G&M entertainment cartel disinformation piece has Sookman, “who has done work for the Canadian recording industry,” saying.
There’s no such thing as the Canadian recording industry. There’s only Vivendi Universal (France), Sony (Japan), EMI (Britain), and Warner Music (US, but controlled by a Canadian).
And Sookman acts for them via their CRIA (Canadian Recording Industry Association of America), a clone of the infamous RIAA.
At the beginning of the year, the CRIA led the way with lobbying activities, said Michael Geist »»»
- January 9, 2009 – Barry Sookman meeting with Tanya Peat, policy advisor to Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore and Zoe Addington, policy advisor to Industry Minister Tony Clement
- January 9, 2009 – David Dyer meeting with Zoe Addington
- January 9, 2009 – David Dyer meeting with Tanya Peat
- January 23, 2009 – David Dyer meeting with Tanya Peat
“Earlier this year, the Obama administration put Canada on its blacklist of shame — a ‘priority watch list’of intellectual property laggards, joining the likes of China, Russia and Venezuela,” says McKenna, going on —-
—- and on
—- and on.
“Now, the Harper government is at it again,” he says, adding:
“It recently completed a national consultation, garnering responses from nearly 5,000 individuals and groups. Industry Minister Tony Clement wants a bill by December.”
But, “Experts are dubious because so many earlier efforts failed.”
Experts?
“Canada has made itself a victim of this,” said Eric Schwartz, who’s presumably among them.
He was speaking at a, “recent forum in Washington, organized by the Woodrow Wilson International Center’s Canada Institute In which he states Canada, “has allowed the business to get established and opposition to grow.”
Is that Eric Schwartz the cartoonist? Eric Schwartz the singer/songwriter? Eric Schwartz the comedian?
The Globe & Mail item doesn’t say.
No need to stay tuned.
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
Golbe & Nail – The (legal) music fades out for Canadians, October 20, 2009
blatantly vested interests – Canada ‘top copyright pirate’ says US, May 1, 2009
Gloat & Flail – Canada arouses corporate ire, February 15, 2009
Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. It’s really easy!
Subscribe to p2pnet.net | | rss feed: http://p2pnet.net/p2p.rss | | Mobile – http://p2pnet.net/index-wml.php
Net access blocked by government restrictions? Use Psiphon from the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto. Go here for details.
October 20th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
“Barrie McKenna has earned a dubious distinction as a world class twit whos spouts corporate BS to further squash fair use and user rights”
says me
October 20th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
“Experts are dubious because so many earlier efforts failed.”
Experts?
Now Jon, it doesn’t say what they are experts in. They could be bovine excrement delivery experts, they could be experts in the art of screwing consumers, personnally I think they are expert at getting money out of corporations for bovine excrement delivery.
October 20th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
If you skim the comments, you can see those who work for the trade groups or studios are out trying to sound intelligent, but when you see each of those types of posts has 2 thumbs up and 35 thumbs down you know what the public thinks of those comments.
Then you see those using logic, discussing availability and how licensing hinders availability because “oh, we can’t license in Canada, sorry” so you have no alternative but to use isohunt or something similar. That shows how licensing takes priority over getting the content out there and getting paid. It also shows how these content providers are not understanding the internet or its power at all.
Those posts have 35 thumbs up and 2 thumbs down.
Do you think Canadians are shameful of their “pirate haven” mislabeling? Or are they thinking with logic and reasoning and corporate spindoctors are the ones who are out of touch with reality? My bet and all evidence points to the latter.
October 20th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Honestly, the globe? obvious right leaning news is obvious.
Sure they quoted gary fung and thats great they thought to include the other side of the debate. However, they only used it as a means of further arguing index sites are popping up in canada because of the nature of our copyright law. Which is BS.
Dear Barrie Mckenna, your employer would be better serving canadians by publishing stories based on fact instead of industry hearsay. Heres an example. Compare the Globe article to this CNET article by blogger Greg Sandoval of CNET news.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-10378654-261.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
The message you’re trying to convey is simply not true and in fact is the opposite of what reputable industry critics and legal educators have been saying. You blame it on “index sites” taking refuge in Canada but this blogger blames it on lack of legitimate options and the entertainment industries own mistakes. The minute you quote what a CRIA rep has to say as relevant to your article you lose all credibility in this debate.
I dont know how you live with yourself. Might be a bit easier with a little more weight in your wallet I would be willing to bet.
October 20th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
@robert download iMacro addon for firefox then go to town on thumbs up and down.
I do it on cbc.ca , ctv.ca everyday for kicks. Ive been accused of being in some kind of conspiracy to bury conservatives… but really they all deserved it. Use it wisely go after the industry shills and partisan attacks.
October 20th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Proud to be in pirate heaven .. err haven
Cause the alternative of letting them have there way is unthinkable.
October 20th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
The globe is a right leaning pro-Bell Canada paid piece of crap news carrier with nothing unique except for the propaganda they carry.
If you pay them enough, they will write a story as you see fit. They are the cheaper version of the Conference Board of Canada.
That sums up the globe & mail.
October 20th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
Heaven? Haven?
The correct word is COVE.
October 20th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
The Globe article fails to make any connection between unauthorized access, and the licensing necessary for legal download shops to start up. Total logic failure.
October 21st, 2009 at 12:09 am
Vote:
Shall we drop this Barrie McKenna and all the member of CRIAA in the Hudson bay this winter?
Yes:
No:
If there is a majority of yes we will do that.
Please vote! Thanks!
October 21st, 2009 at 5:36 am
@ RW Ummm, no, I believe the Hudson Bay freezes over – so no point really.
What gets the CRIAA is the successful example that Canada have shown the rest of the world in distributing royalties from the media tax directly to artists.
The CPCC has started an excellent methodology of collecting and distributing royalties.
http://cpcc.ca/english/finHighlights.htm
This concept exists because as they say on the website:
more and more,
the music people listen to
is music they have copied themselves. Private copying is
increasing. But the people that create that music do so for a living.
That’s why there is a royalty on the media used for copying.
It goes on a bit, however, what Canada has done is to achieve a return to artists.
Countries that have no media tax and instead use up the time of the courts to obtain million dollar settlements that will never be paid, do so at the risk of recovering very little of the royalties that Canadian artists receive.
I find it interesting that a business model that works is totally ignored by the members of the RIAA. Why? Some would say, it’s not enough moolla. Others (more cynical old buggers like me) would say, the RIAA don’t like anything “Not invented by the RIAA – (EVEN IF IT WORKS). ”
It’s a shame that more people (err, that’s you guys) don’t write to their congressmen, senators members etc to let them know how you will be voting next elections.
Dear Member,
I intend to vote for the candidate that hasnt been purchased by RIAA political donations.
In other words. I am sick of the majority of citizens of (insert country) being criminalised because of organisations donating large sums to political parties.
If everyone did this, the face of politics would change real fast.
Sincerely
John Q. Citizen.
A voter in your district.
October 21st, 2009 at 12:04 pm
I thought we had one of the lousiest broadband ratings in the world. How can we be a pirate haven if we’re so behind the times? We must have the best bittorrent technology on the market!
That’s like saying “those kids on tricycles are so much more dangerous on the pathways because they speed” compared to people like me on two-wheeled racing bicycles, zipping along at 30km/h.
October 21st, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Thomas,
They make these neat auger things to fix that freezes over thing.
October 21st, 2009 at 1:42 pm
“I find it interesting that a business model that works is totally ignored by the members of the RIAA.”
I’m assuming this is in reference to the blank media levy.
That’s just invoking the “Pandora’s Box” effect.
The only trouble with this “business model”, is that, if it’s adopted as an acceptable one, then EVERY other group that’s crying “piracy is killing us” will want “in”! Next thing you know, all the industries will be demanding their own “levy” on everything from blank media to services and devices – movie, software, publishers, royalty collectors, ad infinitum.
They’ve all pretty well told us what kind of exhorbitant price they’d “need” to accept such an arrangement. It would be totally unworkable from that end alone.
October 21st, 2009 at 2:57 pm
lol thats too funny
Well according the US anyway that isnt the US is a “pirate haven”
and anywhere that isnt infested with DRM or DMCA ha!
October 22nd, 2009 at 2:36 am
OK folks – After reading this I decided that I should set Mr. McKenna straight. Which I did in a bloody long post. Jon will no dobt shoot me, but the article has a million tables and links so here is the original address.
http://www.perceptric.com/blog/_archives/2009/10/22/4358132.html
The article proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Canadian response to file sharing is far better for the artists than the US RIAA model of sue em all — in fact 2342% better as far as royalty payment to the artists are concerned.