Normally, they...Canada’s copyright law overhaul: Fair or Foolish?
By now you’ve no doubt heard the news: a new proposed bill, C-61, will revamp Canada’s copyright laws if approved this fall, imposing a $500 fine for those who caught downloading unauthorized media (such as a song, movie or e-book) or face a fine of up to $20,000 for uploading (i.e. sharing) copyrighted material.
By now you’ve no doubt heard the news: a new proposed bill, C-61, will revamp Canada’s copyright laws if approved this fall, imposing a $500 fine for those who caught downloading unauthorized media (such as a song, movie or e-book) or face a fine of up to $20,000 for uploading (i.e. sharing) copyrighted material.
It’s Friday the 13th, which makes this news appropriately scary for those who download music, movies or TV shows from the likes of Bit Torrent sites or file-swapping services such as LimeWire.
The Conservatives have put forth a bill that will significantly tighten Canada’s copyright laws, which haven’t been updated in more than a decade, and therefore not taking into account the "digital" revolution.
In cased you missed all the details on this proposed bill, C-61, you can read more about it here.
Sync wants to know your thoughts on this.
Do you think this bill, if passed, is fair to protect content providers and it’s about time Canada steps up its fight against piracy?
Or do you think Canada is bowing to U.S. pressure to scare and strong arm Internet users into buying music and movies from legitimate sources. Will this bill stop you if it’s passed?
Filed Under: Computers & Software > Found on the Web > Handhelds > Home Entertainment > In The News > Portable Devices
OK, so the Tories promised to consult with 'the public', which, in this case seems to include just 2 ministers.
And, we've been paying levies on the recordable media we've been buying. Do I get a refund for all that money? Who do I speak to about that?
Music I buy from Sympatico is not only locked, you can't play it on anything except Media Player – what a joke.
I buy it, I get to say what I do with it. You lock it? I bought it? I have the right to unlock it – after all, I paid for it and in order to put it in my iPod it MUST be unlocked.
This looks a lot like the US DMCA, which is a huge pile of unenforceable steaming brown goo that makes almost every American citizen a law breaker in one way or another.
Canadians have been lied to all this time by industry and government – we've been told it has been illegal to download – yet we all do it one way or another!!!
So making it official (because if downloading wasn't legal, why do they need to change the law?) they somehow expect that people who've believed they were breaking the law will stop?
Please, save my tax dollars and spend the time you have in office doing what I voted you in for rather than cowtowing to the corporations who have paid you off to put this restrictive drivel in place. It doesn't make them any more money anyway.
(Report comment)
The business model that the music industry is based on is toast. But rather than adapt, they get the government to prop them up and protect them. I'm a financial planner, you think Prentice will table some laws forcing do-it-yourself investors to only do their investing through me? Not likely, nor should he. I have to adapt.
Personally, I've already scored a couple of thousand of my favourite oldies and find new music favourites by listening to NPR and University radio, finding the artist's website, listening to their samples and following their links to order their product. I have no need for the big companies anymore.
(Report comment)
Guess I better keep my BitTorrent working all the time downloading all the music I want but haven't got around to yet. When will this be approved? (I don't think it's ever been a matter of IF it will be approved). I'm still safe in the meantime, right?
(Report comment)
What about sharing a book with a friend?
(Report comment)
Hello;
There is one sure fire to bring the customers back to the store is to bring the down the prices of these cds and dvds. I think that is why people are breaking the law. The prices is so silly and that is why teenagers and adults are breaking the law. If they do this, I am sure they will have more customers coming in the stores.
(Report comment)
This new law will be about as effective as a STOP sign, maybe the government should make the speed limit signs larger. That would stop speeding.
This law is just about as enforceable as gas price fixing. Catch me if you can. I stopped downloading, only because my fav site was scared away and i don't care to tie up my computer downloading large files anymore.
I live by the RCMP building, i am sure when they drive by they are looking in my window to see if i am downloading something illegal.
This law has as much bite as a 100yr old without dentures!
(Report comment)
This new revamp is assinine. Why shouldn't I be able to rip a copy of a movie I OWN and paid for especially when they are my kids movies this way they do not destroy the original and if they wreck the copy it is only the cost of a new blank rather than re buying the damn thing again. The same goes with my music just try to take my ipod away and see what the hell happenshow can they tell if I ripped a song from a cd or I Tunes or limewire are they looking into my livingroom or car to see if I have the cd and if I do why shouldn't I be able to use it on my portable music player. This is going to kill the portable music player industry. Tell me how long it will be before Microsoft and Apple etc let this go before they get pissed because no one will buy their portables anylonger for fear of getting snapped with a huge fine.
(Report comment)
I tink it is great they are clamping down on this theft. If it is done honestly, the taxes they are putting on MP3 players and blank CDs should be taken off.
(Report comment)
I hink tt there are more importantthins than wory abouy someone dwloadig a song to listn or a moie…wory about th fuel cris ..murders…dui…on and on
(Report comment)
everything is free on the net and always will be..yahooo
(Report comment)
no its dum and it will not work there are ways a roud ever thing.
(Report comment)
Wasn't there a recent Supreme Court ruling against the record companies about downloading music in Canada? I thought the ruling said that because the music industry (read company/labels) were successful in getting their 'levy'implemented on ALL BLANK MEDIA that could possibly be used for music downloading, Canadians were OK to download and p2p tunes. I understood (probably naively) that the dvd blank media were included, so the record company labels/industry/METALLICA/etc couldn't successfully pursue legal proceedings against isp's, downloaders/uploaders/etc.
How does the new proposed legislation change that? Do we get refunded for any/all blank media we purchased?
Greed is greed. And it's not fair to blame the artists/composers. But the record/movie companies,I say piss off!
(Report comment)
This is totally foolish…Why is it that, here in Canada we think or the Government of the time thinks that they can solve all the ills of the World?
We got a hell of alot more pressing issues then copyright laws at this moment…
Who`s gonna be the one to tell our troops in Afganistan that they can`t download a song from home or from a family member?
Did you ever hear a politician say.." The people of Canada want this or that..? Who asked US ALL? Ive never been called or asked what I want…Who comes up with this crap anyways?
(Report comment)
i think this new law is ridiculous. sure its all good to protect singers and what not, but most people still do buy CD's. i download songs because there is only a few songs form a certain album that i like, so instead of wasting my money on 10 other songs that i hate, i download the 1,2, or 3 songs from an artist that i do like. i think the canadian government, once again is trying to be the American bitch.
(Report comment)
God damn gov't, taking away the rights of the people again. recording companies are obsolete. away with them, i say. The little fish in the downloading scene need not worry though, it's mainly the ones who stand out that they'll go after. same with everything else short of murder. ah, screw it.
Artists now make more money through touring, which is fine in my opinion. so i say if you want to support artists, go see a live show. depending on the band, at least what you'll get is real, undiluted, unfiltered beauty. none of that plastic overprocessed studio crap.
Long Live Open Source!
Long Live The Community!
(Report comment)
I remember when I was young, we bought records and eight track tapes, then we had to replace everything with cassettes, then I replaced everything once again with cd's…when will the madness stop? I totally agree with Devin and Walter, We are America's bitch. Communism starts with capitalism folks!
(Report comment)
This law will help the companies that want to control the entertainment buisness. New or existing bands that cannot get a recording contract can use the internet to be discovered and sell their art. They do not have to have thier earnings stolen by middle men corporations.
(Report comment)
the copyright laws we had are enough. Canada is bowing to US pressure. Last time i checked this was a free country. It's about time our political leaders grew some balls and stood up for our country. The Us wants us to be just like them. well not this guy. I AM CANADIAN!!!!!!!!
(Report comment)
Those above who are taking a stand against this proposed bill are clearly the ones it is targeted towards, and thus why they are taking such offence. As a consumer who has not now, nor will ever, bow to the pressure of illegally downloading music or movies, I am fully in support of this proposed legislature, and feel that the proposed fine of $500.00 is entirely too lenient.
I have no issue with making personal copies of a dvd for my own purposes, as a statement above covers due to the movies being used by children, and, in fact, fully support the fact that studios are now including a LEGAL digital copy with many releases. This allows the movie to be legally copied to a computer, iPod, or other media source. If you are wanting to have the movie on your computer, now you can do so legally and with 100% clarity and quality.
What truly needs to be done is for all digital medium (cd and dvd) to have greater anti piracy encoding which is much harder to break. There needs to be greater crackdown on file sharing websites, and also a much stronger stance taken on the illegal sale of copied dvd movies. When I can walk into a store and purchase illegal dvd movies in the open, something has gone very wrong.
(Report comment)
everyones a criminal i guess whats next if we have a birthday party for our child and play music during the entertainment for the children we going to be aressted if we dont send the so called artist a check !!
(Report comment)