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US Group Wants Canada Blacklisted Over Piracy
Posted by
samzenpus
on Wed Feb 14, 2007 06:50 PM
from the are-you-on-the-list dept.
from the are-you-on-the-list dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Following up on an earlier story, the IIAA wants to add Canada to a blacklist of the worst intellectual property offenders. A powerful coalition of U.S. software, movie and music producers is urging the Bush administration to put Canada on an infamous blacklist of intellectual property villains, alongside China, Russia and Belize. '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."
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Canada Responsible for 50% of Movie Piracy 459 comments
westcoaster004 writes "Hollywood is blaming Canada as being the source for at least 50% of of the world's pirated movies. According to an investigation by Twentieth Century Fox, most of the recording is taking place in Montreal theatres where films are released in both English and French. This has led to consideration of delaying movie releases in Canada. Their problem is that the Canadian Copyright Act, as well as the policies of local police forces, makes it difficult to come down especially hard on perpetrators. Convicting someone is apparently rather difficult, almost requiring a law officer to have a 'smoking camcorder' in the hands of the accused. Hence, the consideration of more drastic measures."
[+]
Putting Canadian Piracy in Perspective 188 comments
An anonymous reader writes "Over the past year Slashdot has pointed to many industry claims and governmental pressure over Canada piracy issues. Canadian law prof Michael Geist has produced Putting Canadian 'Piracy' in Perspective, a video that demonstrates how the claims are hugely exaggerated. For example, it shows how despite the MPAA's claim of movie piracy, Canada was the industry's fastest growing market last year. Similarly, while the recording industry says Canada is the world's top P2P country, the data shows that the Canadian music industry is experiencing record gains and that most of the decline from the major labels is due to retail pricing pressures."
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tiny microchips (Score:5, Funny)
Re:tiny microchips (Score:5, Funny)
Cue the music (Score:5, Funny)
Blame Canada
Re:Cue the music (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm offended and frankly would be extremely angry if Canada bowed to this pressure.
Re:Cue the music (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Cue the music (Score:5, Informative)
Heres a good bit: "The U.S. approach is quite clearly one of "do what I say, not what I do" (fair use is good for the U.S., but no one else), advising country after country that it does not meet international TPM standards (perhaps it is the U.S. that is not meeting emerging international standards), and criticizing national attempts to improve education or culture through exceptions or funding programs. Moreover, it is very clear that the U.S. lobby groups are never satisfied as even those countries that have ratified the WIPO treaties or entered into detailed free trade agreements with the U.S. that include IP provisions still find themselves criticized for not doing enough.
Canadians should not be deceived into thinking that our laws are failing to meet an international standard, no matter what U.S. lobby groups or the Globe and Mail say. Rather, Canadians should know that our approach - and the criticism that it inevitably brings from the U.S. - places us in very good company."
Re:Cue the music (Score:5, Insightful)
Now we have meat packing plants of our own, and we can sell frozen steak internationally with all the associated markup.
Why the hell are we selling our oil?
Re:Cue the music (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Cue the music (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Cue the music (Score:5, Funny)
We could throw the complete inventory of a franchise music store into Boston Harbor. and maybe a few politicians as well.
Re:Cue the music (Score:5, Funny)
SB
Re:Cue the music (Score:5, Insightful)
In any event, saying "we hate America" means you're doing one awful lot of hating. I've known some Australians that were complete jackasses as well
Re:Cue the music (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Cue the music (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Cue the music (Score:5, Insightful)
1. Because they can.
2. Because they can buy the best lobbyists.
3. Because voters who don't pay attention let them.
Re:Cue the music (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Cue the music (Score:5, Insightful)
Not to mention the US government (which is even less of a random group) has already pressured several other countries into changing their copyright laws and has been hard at work on Canada for some time already.
Re:Cue the music (Score:5, Interesting)
Europe is the crucible from which "modern" (it's really fuedal, thus old fashioned, but what the hell. Nobody remembers anything before last Thursday anyway) copyright law was cast, but it's the converts that are almost always the biggest PITA fanatics; especially if there's money and power in it for them.
KFG
Tough choice (Score:5, Insightful)
- Copyright Law
- Business Model
Modernize one.Re:Tough choice (Score:5, Insightful)
Actually, that would be not too bad. (Score:5, Interesting)
They are part of *that* lot. (Score:5, Funny)
We concurred Yes. And reading this article just confirmed it, eh?
The release is backwards (Score:5, Insightful)
I speak for all Canadians... (Score:5, Insightful)
What are your GPS coordinates? (Score:5, Funny)
You are a lucky winner in our "Win a Tommahawk Cruise Missile" competition.
Re:I speak for all Canadians... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:I speak for all Canadians... (Score:5, Insightful)
Sure, for a sufficiently revised definition of free.
OH NOS!!! (Score:5, Funny)
It could, and probably will, happen.
Where's David Wilkins Now??? (Score:5, Insightful)
If Canada doesn't dictate US policy, so too should the US not concern themselves with Canadian policies.
My Favorite quote (Score:5, Interesting)
Crisis levels? People are dying?
No, it's a fucking camcorder recording of a hollywood movie. All the bad things about watching the movie in the theator in the privacy of your own home.
If this is really a problem, it's because the movies suck and early word getting out about how bad the movie is is hurting sales. Simple solution to that; Stop making crap movies.
Re:My Favorite quote (Score:5, Interesting)
There's a missing note of hilarity here. Let me modify your statement slightly so you'll see it.
a fucking camcorder recording of a hollywood movie that was filmed in Canada because it is cheaper there
Are you laughing now? The US is exporting IP-related jobs to a country it claims doesn't respect IP.
Personally, I think that's a great joke.
They should start exporting their smokes north (Score:5, Insightful)
What is a "crisis level" for camcorders in movie theatres? Is that where the people behind you start attacking you for using a camera that makes too much noise (or gives off too much light, or what)?
Nonetheless, if this sanction was imposed, Canada could retaliate by putting the Yanks on the list of countries to whom they won't export oil or uranium. Then the Americans would have to nicer to Chavez ... (This won't happen. By "this" I mean Canada blocking energy exports. The Canadians put up with a lot.)
Piracy is a problem with video games? (Score:5, Informative)
You mean the one that rakes in more and more profits each year?
Yeah, piracy is just SUCH a problem, crippling that industry...
And Canada doesn't need any new policy since it's already a civil offence to violate the copyright of another.
Height of ignorance & arogance (Score:5, Insightful)
Canada's copyright system is MORE modern then the US. Common sense tells us that there is no difference "If I loan a CD to a friend to listen to", or "make a copy for him to listen to." I guess we should ban libraries too since the artist is not getting "his fair share."
Copyright & Intellectual Property Rights (which are neither property nor rights) are artificial rights from a world where only people care about greed, instead of sharing knowledge.
What price do you put on a patent that could cure cancer? Why is it OK to profit off the sick & dying? Have we really made that little progress in the past million years, that we still cry & whine like a 2 year saying "mine" -- simply because we were the first to come up with an idea, that we could care less about our fellow human beings??
Copyright: Because it's _such_ a crime against humanity, that people want to share what they find entertaining with others, for free!
--
Because its easier to get mod'd down for having the courage to look at the facts, then ignore Forgotten Christian History [peopleofhonoronly.com].
Re:Height of ignorance & arogance (Score:5, Interesting)
Let's go over this slowly (Score:5, Interesting)
Over video games?
Cool.
Re:Let's go over this slowly (Score:5, Funny)
Do we refer to African-Americans as "negroes"? Or Microsoft as "scum-sucking patent-hoarding competition-crushing market-manipulating idea-stealing monopolistic capitalistic bastard offspring of leprous apes"?
Okay, bad example.
Re:Let's go over this slowly (Score:5, Insightful)
Sure, we shouldn't stop sending you guys oil, but we should definitely be looking to sell more of it (along with other things) to places other than the US. They've proven over and over that they can't be trusted not to abuse their position as primary trade partner.
treaty obligations? (Score:5, Interesting)
Let's start adding them up... (Score:5, Funny)
SE Asia is pretty much one big pool of piracy all around.
China is a huge one, they don't seem to care about IP at all.
Ukraine seems to be the most fucked up of the former Soviets.
Russia isn't far behind, with allofmp3 and all.
All the remaining ex-Soviet states are notorious too.
East europe in general has a long track record of piracy.
West europe got the fastest lines and places like The Pirate Bay.
South America is quite rampant too, last I checked.
Australia banned the region coding crap, didn't they?
Anyone know if the Middle East and Africa qualifies? Haven't heard much but I bet they do. Now they want to add Canada to this "exclusive" list? I have a much simpler proposition: Take the list of countries. Remove US and maybe their pet dog, UK. The remainder is their list of copyright villains.
I can see this as only good. (Score:5, Funny)
I think (Score:5, Insightful)
To the best of my knowledge, copyright infringement going on in other countries in no way affects our safety (besides the weak "it funds terrorists" argument that seems to be the defacto excuse for everything around here anymore).
The only people that would benefit from the massive expense and sacrifice of civil liberty that would be necessary to enact such a stupid idea would be the media fat cats..... And they can go and (insert witty thing here) themselves for all I care.
Michael Geist (Score:5, Interesting)
This message proudly paid by a Montreal Pirate! (whatever that means
Oh Put A Sock In It (Score:5, Informative)
The last article was completely overblown, and this is even worse.
Need I even go into the many ways the US has violated [www.cbc.ca] our free trade agreement. How are different copyright laws even a violation?
Maybe because the copyright protections violate our basic copyright freedoms? There's no DMCA here.
In case you haven't noticed, we're lax in all areas of law. How has incarceration [wikipedia.org] helped to reduce US crime rates [fbi.gov]? Why should copyright violation be a criminal offense? The last article was even so bold to say:
So camcording is a criminal offense, you just have to, shock, prove your case rather than assume guilt. I guess this article is *technically* right when it says:
What else did they complain about proving?
Is that 15th century thinking I hear? Are they going to blacklist every liberal country?
Please, the UK and Australia wouldn't even have these type of laws if the US and *AA and friends hadn't strong armed them into it. Are these the only shinning examples they can find?
A Canuck who says, "BLACKLIST ME BABY!!!" (Score:5, Interesting)
Let's say that the U.S. delayed the release of all films in Canada by several months, as they have already threatened to do. Suddenly, film release dates in Canada would no longer coincide with the hype in American media. Canadian consumers would have to endure months of temptation to download industry-insider-provided rips of screeners (not crappy camcorder copies) before films finally come out in Canada. That would certainly hurt good films, but those one-weekend-wonder stinkers that are massively promoted (and never shown to critics in advance) would flop bigtime in a fore-warned Canada. Overall, that's a lot fewer movie tickets sold. Who's going to pick up the slack? Maybe, just maybe, local Canadian film-makers. Quebec actually has a pretty good cinema going but English Canada has bugger all thanks to the abundance of american media. Anything that reduces the market share of american cinema is likely to cause a boom in Canadian film. Yes, american TV shows filming on the cheap in Canada might finally have a little competition for local talent, but who cares?
Market controls on foreign content in a nation's cinema have been shown to improve that nation's cinema. Just look at French cinema since WWII. Their government required that a certain percentage of films shown in French cinemas had to be French. U.S. production companies were financing cheap films just to boost the overall French market so they could release more films in France! Canada considered implementing similar legislation, but failed to do so, much to the detriment of our own nation's cinema. Canada's cinema could certainly benefit from market controls today, but implementing them would be political suicide for any who dared. The U.S. would cry foul over protectionism and Canadians used to american films would be very peeved about not being able to get their fix. However, if the kind americans were to do this for us...
This really is a win-win situation for Canada. The worst the U.S. can do to Canada is the best possible thing for Canada's cinema and the worst possible thing for american film makers. So *PLEASE* blacklist us. Pretty please! I freakin' double dare ya! Heck, BAN the release of american movies in Canada indefinately!
I hope this hits the mainstream news in Canada (Score:5, Insightful)
I believe all this "Canadians are dirty rotten thieves" stuff the "IP proponents" are pulling is due to the fact that the current government is working on revising our copyright law. I suspect that they are trying to pressure the Canadian government into getting their way.
It might even be at the behest of the government who seems to be intent on listening to only one side (guess who?). The Conservatives campaigned partially on "repairing the damage that the liberals did to US - Canada relations" (not that most Americans pay much attention to Canada anyway...) The copyright reforms are likely to be very unpopular no matter what's in them. If they say, "Oh we need to crack down to keep our relations happy with the Americans", maybe they think that will smooth things over.
If that's the case, I think they are terribly misguided. Canadians have always had a low tolerance to being stepped on by the elephant that is the US. We have a chip on our shoulders. In fact, one of the defining principles of being a Canadian is that "We aren't American". For some people, that's their only definition of being Canadian.
Pressure from the US to do *anything* to our laws will likely doom that idea, whether it be good or bad. Hence it would be nice to see what happens if the above characterization would be on the front page of the local newspapers...
Time to fight back (Score:5, Funny)
Re:in other words (Score:5, Insightful)
Translation: "We have a stranglehold on the music and movie industries, we want control over video game consoles, as well."
No, a better translation would be:
The Conservative government needs a stick to shake at the Canadian public in order to cow them into accepting a digital media market that is more conducive to the desires of their corporate master. Conveniently, the media associations and their government cronies are happy to provide one.
""Chronic" failure", you say? (Score:5, Funny)
(catchpa: underway)
Re:As a Canadian to Bush (Score:5, Insightful)