Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
Government News Your Rights Online

US Group Calls Canada a Top Copyright Violator 293

eldurbarn tips a CBC story reporting that the US-based International Intellectual Property Alliance claims Canada has joined Russia and China among the biggest violators of US copyright law. Quoting: "The group's report is the latest to urge the US government into pressuring Ottawa to reform copyright laws." As we have previously discussed here, the current Conservative government had planned to introduce a new copyright law, but dissent from the privacy commissioner and a groundswell of public protest delayed that action. eldurbarn adds, "What makes this story so important now is that this pressure is being applied at a time and in a manner that may cause the Canadian government to fall, forcing an election." Meanwhile, on the other side of the rapidly heating debate, Michael Geist blogs about the forces arrayed against a Canadian DMCA. The Business Coalition for Balanced Copyright, which includes a who's who of the telecom, Internet, retail, and broadcast communities, has outlined a list of its copyright reform demands.
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

US Group Calls Canada a Top Copyright Violator

Comments Filter:
  • FUCK copyright law. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by jez9999 ( 618189 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @09:12AM (#22404848) Homepage Journal
    Seriously, isn't that what you want to hear a politician just come out with? I'm so sick of greedy pricks in suits going around attacking anyone and everyone for infringing on their precious IP, and getting quoted in the media. Ignore them, for god's sake.
    • by Yetihehe ( 971185 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @09:16AM (#22404882)
      Seriously, isn't that what you want to hear a politician just come out with? I'm so sick of greedy pricks in suits going around attacking anyone and everyone for infringing on their precious IP, and getting quoted in the media. Ignore them, for god's sake.
      --
      == yetihehe ==
      "My totem is too great for your desperate fighting techniques!" - T. Hawk (Super Street Fighter II)
      • by dintech ( 998802 )
        There's very, very funny and a fantastic example. Well done there.
      • Sweden (Score:2, Interesting)

        by rdradar ( 1110795 )
        Did they forgot Sweden? In Sweden, even politicans back up The Pirate Bay [torrentcentral.net]. On the other hand, we have polar bears roaming in the streets so maybe they're just afraid.
        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by Socguy ( 933973 )
          A very apt observation, (I liked the Polar bears too). Personally I believe this 'announcement' has less to do with Canada's real or perceived level of IP infringement and more to do with applying political pressure to help force Canada to tow-the-line by way of passing strict IP legislation. Especially since the last attempt by the governing party was shot down in flames by the public.

          'Course I didn't RTA, I jumped right to the point where I start shooting my mouth off.
    • Just to clarify, you also have to ignore what they produce if you want them to go away, not just their threats, because many of them are far from idle.
    • by Midnight Thunder ( 17205 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @11:18AM (#22406156) Homepage Journal
      Seriously, isn't that what you want to hear a politician just come out with? I'm so sick of greedy pricks in suits going around attacking anyone and everyone for infringing on their precious IP, and getting quoted in the media. Ignore them, for god's sake.

      There are some politicians in the US who don't seem to understand the Canada is a soverign country, not under US rule. Maybe they do understand and are simply peeved about it. As a soverign country we do as we please, and we believe that copyright holders can either charge a copyright levy or sue copyright violators, but not both.

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Maxo-Texas ( 864189 )
        Canada is no more sovereign than the US is.

        With the WTO and other international treaties, no major country can afford financially to piss on the rest of the world any more.

        It's like the states and the federal government- technically they can do what they want but the cost is too high.
      • by Jesus_666 ( 702802 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @12:22PM (#22407126)
        If I was a Canadian politician I would point out instances where US citizens inside the USA violate Canadian law.


        As a German, I can just point out that many Americans are in gross violation of German road traffic law (for example, they're overtaking on the right side all the time) as well as German gun regulations. Also, no American carries an ID card compliant with 1-2, PersAuswG (the German ID card law). Those violations have to stop immediately!

        Also, most American laws are not written in the German language, which is at odds with the German basic law. What kind of rogue country are the USA?
        • by Curtman ( 556920 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @02:37PM (#22409128)

          If I was a Canadian politician I would point out instances where US citizens inside the USA violate Canadian law.

          Capital punishment comes to mind. They are the killing people while they complain about us downloading a few movies. It's lunacy.
        • You make a good point actually... Canada should respond with the fact that the US is in violation of Canada's gun laws, and that most illegal weaponry found inside Canada has been smuggled in from the US due to their shoddy (or in some cases absent) control regulations. It should further be pointed out that this actually affects people's lives, not just their livelihoods like IP violations.

          THEN the discussion can turn to such harmonious issues as softwood lumber, fish and steel :)

          When all that has been straightened out, there might be place for some discussion about harmonizing BOTH US and Canadian IP laws with WIPO (and not by changing the WIPO rules to reflect US law like has been done in the past).
        • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

          As a German, I can just point out that many Americans are in gross violation of German road traffic law (for example, they're overtaking on the right side all the time) as well as German gun regulations.

          As an Australian, I'd like to point out that driving on the right side of the road is illegal, dangerous and incredibly stupid. You are likely to kill yourself and the poor soul you collide with.

          I will be lobbying my goverment to tell your goverment to get into line immediately.

          Oh, and overtaking on the r

      • by alan_dershowitz ( 586542 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @12:45PM (#22407500)
        There are some politicians in Canada who don't seem to understand that their country is a signatory to the World Intellectual Property Organization treaty and are under obligation to meet a minimum criteria for copyright law harmonization with other signatories. Maybe they do understand and are simply peeved about it. As a sovereign country they are free to do as they please, but we believe that they can either remain signatories to the treaty or disregard treaty obligations for their own standards, but not both.
        • by belmolis ( 702863 ) <billposer@alum.miSTRAWt.edu minus berry> on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @01:27PM (#22408136) Homepage

          This is B.S. on many levels. To begin with, in many respects [blogspot.com] Canadian copyright law is stronger than that of the U.S. In any case, Canada has no obligation to conform to the WIPO treaty. Canada has signed the WIPO treaty but has not ratified it. Signing a treaty merely indicates the intention of the then current government. As the Hon. Jim Prentice, the Minister responsible for this file, commented [google.ca], the relationship between signing a treaty and ratifying it is like that between dating and marriage. Nothing is binding until the treaty is ratified, and Canada has never ratified the WIPO treaty.

          As to fulfilling treaty obligations, for the US to complain about Canada is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Take the softwood lumber dispute, for example. The US illegally imposed billions of dollars in tariffs and planned, illegally, to give them to US lumber companies. The US consistently lost at the NAFTA dispute panel, even though three of the five panel members were Americans. The dispute was temporarily resolved when the new Conservative minority government gave in to the US in spite of being in the right legally, but the US is making trouble again and there is a good chance that the agreement will not last.

  • by Anonymous Coward
    ... otherwise an invasion could have taken care of this.
  • by IceRa ( 844639 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @09:14AM (#22404860)
    that US copyright law applies in Canada??
    • by Sique ( 173459 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @09:17AM (#22404892) Homepage
      No, the issue at hand is that U.S. or U.S.-style copyright law does not apply in Canada. And that's (according to IIPA) is all Canada's fault.
    • Violations of Canadian copyright laws that is.
    • by Ubergrendle ( 531719 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @10:47AM (#22405736) Journal
      This issue is that lobby groups in the US are trying to influence trade policy, to force Canada to fall in line. Canada has had to keep up with alot of WIPO / WTO copyright changes over the years just to stay a member. The US could easily say "well if you don't honour our IP, we won't let you trade lumber...".

      The US, being the largest economic superpower (still!), and our largest trading partner, has alot of leverage that they're not afraid of using. You know that softwood lumber dispute? The one that the US lost at NAFTA, WTO, etc time and time again? The US just stonewalled Canada...we eventually conceded some tariffs in the interest of saving our domestic industries, even though by every treaty under the sun we were free and clear.

      Canada has a number of laws making copyright work for the benefit of society. I don't agree with all of them, but I understand their purpose. The first is CANCON, laws promoting the distribution of Canadian generated media based on quotas. e.g. Don't meet a quota, you lose your broadcast license.

      There's practical exceptions too. Copyright is null-and-void for organisations translating media into formats that make them accessible to visually or audio-impaired individuals. e.g. Library can MAKE books on tape for subjects that might not be commercially availably; or they can reprint large font editions.

      I worry that our relaxed personal use copyright laws are in jeopardy on a daily basis. Fortuntely the Canadian government is slightly more accessible to the public than the US congress, so we hve some safeguards in place. (note: i said ~slightly~)
      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        This issue is that lobby groups in the US are trying to influence trade policy, to force Canada to fall in line. Canada has had to keep up with alot of WIPO / WTO copyright changes over the years just to stay a member. The US could easily say "well if you don't honour our IP, we won't let you trade lumber...".

        The softwood lumber dispute showed just how fucking hypocritical the US government is in world trade matters. Almost all WTO and NAFTA rulings went against the US position and told them to pay back th

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      Indeed. I live in Canada, and am governed by Canadian law. Not U.S. law.

      I was recently on a tour in Costa Rica, and the U.S. folks all automatically assumed that the movies on my iPod were somehow illegal, even though I ripped them from legitimately purchased DVDs for my own personal use, and haven't the slightest intention of putting them on BitTorrent or any similar network (which is not fair use). Fair Use seems to have disappeared from the U.S. psyche.

      Circumventing CSS to rip DVDs isn't a crime in C

  • by dkleinsc ( 563838 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @09:14AM (#22404872) Homepage
    Blame Canada! Blame Canada!
    Because our copyrighted swill
    gives us the right to kill

    Blame Canada! Blame Canada!
    We need the right to sue
    for a case of LaBatt Blue

    (further verses are left as an exercise to the reader)
  • by camperdave ( 969942 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @09:17AM (#22404890) Journal
    They are aware that Canada is a separate country, right? US laws do not apply here.
    • by srmalloy ( 263556 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @09:29AM (#22404964) Homepage
      ...and that Canadians pay a tax on blank recording media that was imposed to compensate copyright holders for the presumed use of the media to make unauthorized copies. So it's possible that either Canada has been holding on to the revenue from that tax, or, more likely, the RIAA/MPAA feels that the tax does not "fully compensate" them for the multi-thousand-dollar 'loss' from the existence of a bootleg copy of a CD.
      • by whisper_jeff ( 680366 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @09:46AM (#22405116)
        "So it's possible that either Canada has been holding on to the revenue from that tax, or, more likely, the RIA of America/MPA of America feels that the tax does not "fully compensate" them for the multi-thousand-dollar 'loss' from the existence of a bootleg copy of a CD."

        (slight edit and emphasis mine)

        The RIAA and MPAA are not welcome to a single cent of the tax we pay on blank media. It's a Canadian tax. It goes to the CRIA ( you know, the Canadian Recording Industry Association) (and presumably other Canadian organizations).

        • by SimonGhent ( 57578 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @09:54AM (#22405188)
          The RIAA and MPAA are not welcome to a single cent of the tax we pay on blank media. It's a Canadian tax. It goes to the CRIA ( you know, the Canadian Recording Industry Association) (and presumably other Canadian organizations).

          Which presumably goes to support the likes of Bryan Adams and Celine Dion?

          I'd rather it went to the RIAA, MPAA, Microsoft, Al-Qaeda or hell... pretty much anyone!
          • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

            by tbannist ( 230135 )
            Actually, from what I hear, the CRIA holds on to all of the money, "in trust" to pay for bribes to politicians to raise the levy.
        • by shark72 ( 702619 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @11:18AM (#22406150)

          "The RIAA and MPAA are not welcome to a single cent of the tax we pay on blank media. It's a Canadian tax. It goes to the CRIA ( you know, the Canadian Recording Industry Association) (and presumably other Canadian organizations)."

          Most of it goes to various societies and groups representing publishers, composers, performers (the CMRRA, NRCC, SOGEDAM, SODRAC, and SOCAN). Some goes to record companies, who may also be CRIA members. But none goes directly to the CRIA, nor is the CRIA involved in the distribution of the money to record companies or artists. It's a bit like saying that when you pay your doctor, it goes to the AMA -- perhaps it does in one sense, but that's not the most accurate way to put it.

          For what it's worth, only Canadian artists and whatnot are eligible. While I'm guessing that the average Canadian pirate will have a higher percentage of Canadian music in their collection than the average pirate elsewhere in the world, my guess is that most of the music pirated in Canada is actually from elsewhere. If you're an American artist and your stuff is being enjoyed by Canadians who think that you're getting paid when they buy blank media, you're both wrong. Don't expect that check from the CPCC anytime soon!

          This is why the Canadian levy is a terrible, terrible idea. It's nationalistic (as it kicks a little cash to Canadian artists each year), but it's hardly equitable. It's a tax on everybody who buys media -- whether they pirate or not -- and it gives many people the false belief that the artist is being compensated, thus legitimizing piracy. For Canadian artists, I don't believe the money makes up for lost sales, and as covered above, non-Canadians don't see any money.

        • As a noncommercial musician and DJ I argue that the CRIA doesn't deserve a penny of that tariff for most of my use as well. My acid test for a new DJ mix is to listen to it in my car, which requires me to burn it to a disc. Why the hell should Bryan Adams get paid for me to listen to my own creations? What kind of scumbag convinced our government that there isn't a single non-infringing use of blank recordable media? Why do I have to pay a penalty to the Canadian recording industry if I want to create a
        • by c ( 8461 )
          > It goes to the CRIA ( you know, the Canadian Recording Industry Association)

          Uh... You might want to check their membership list. They're pretty much just an RIAA franchise these days.

          c.
    • >They are aware that Canada is a separate country, right?
      At the *moment*, yes but...

      http://www.aim.org/special-report/north-american-union-conspiracy-exposed/ [aim.org]
      http://rinf.com/alt-news/breaking-news/the-amero-is-real/1179/ [rinf.com]
  • by Malevolent Tester ( 1201209 ) * on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @09:20AM (#22404910) Journal
    It's the British government's job to kowtow shamelessly to American commercial interests. Who do these colonials think they are? They'll be wanting to extradite innocent people next.
    • by Tony Hoyle ( 11698 ) <tmh@nodomain.org> on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @09:46AM (#22405112) Homepage
      You're not up to date. The US no longer has to apply for extradition.. in fact it's perfectly legal for them to send bounty hunters over here, grab who they want, and ship them back to the US for tort.. err, sorry.. humane treatment. (Source [timesonline.co.uk]).

      It is of course not legal for the UK to reciprocate.
    • by dintech ( 998802 )
      I do protest old chap, I'm British you insensitive clod! Actually on second thoughts, i retract that complaint and I'm just going to lay on back with my arms and legs in the air. Please tickle me.
    • by elrous0 ( 869638 ) *

      It's the British government's job to kowtow shamelessly to American commercial interests.

      Wasn't that one of Tony Blair's campaign slogans?

  • End this (Score:2, Interesting)

    by gx5000 ( 863863 )
    Isn't it time we end this crazy nonsense ?
    IP reform my buttcheeks ! we need to scrap the whole system.
    The last decade has seen to many idiots trying to claim that an idea
    is a palpable, coherent and legitimate "object" that can be protected.
    I'm not paying to type a smily or say "It's rumbling time"...
    Get a job and go scr@$ yerselves! Ideas should be as free as you are.
    Mind you, Democracy and freedom are myths, but if you're using them as buidling
    blocks to create a society....
  • Non-sense (Score:5, Informative)

    by aepervius ( 535155 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @09:23AM (#22404928)
    Quote : Canada has joined Russia and China as the biggest violators of U.S. copyright law

    Cannada CANNOT break (grammatically error on country placement inserted intentionally) copyright US law, anymore than an US as a country cannot break coypright new-guinea law . What could happen is that somebody could infringe on the copyright held by somebody else in another country, which means (if I recall correctly WIPO) that a Canadian could at most only break a canadian law on respecting other country copyright. A country can only break international Agreement (like WIPO agreement). So the above quoted line is wrong on the citizen [of the country] level, and it is wrong on the country level. Beside that, it is only propaganda from US copyright holder to put pressure on foreign government or require their paid-off US lawmaker to put pressure on those countries.
    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      no but you have to remember NAFTA takes affect also. I read before that Canadian Copyright is still shorter than US. So works are falling into PD in Canada, then thru the free trade agreement cannot be stopped from import into the US. They only way to "fix" that is to force Canada to adopt our laws exactly.

      Of course, it's not about adopting the SAME terms, they are pushing for even more egregious terms in Canada so they can come back to the US and "align" our terms to our neighbors.. it's only neighborly!!
    • "Cannada CANNOT break (grammatically error on country placement inserted intentionally) copyright US law."

      Since when has the US had respect for the law, with their illegal invasion of IRAQ? The US cares about one thing: It's corporate interests. If it has to bully or sanction other countries it will.
    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by yabos ( 719499 )
      You might remember the Canadian guy that was selling cannabis seeds to people in the US. In Canada it's NOT illegal to sell seeds. He is being extradited to the US because he broke US law and DID NOT break any Canadian laws. The fucking government is always bowing down to the US.
  • I call it bullshit. First thing that popped into my mind after I RTFA was that 'Canada is considered a pirate (along with Russia and China) but Sweden (and the Pirate Bay) isn't? Did I miss the memo?'

    Secondly, how did these guys come up with these numbers? $511 Million? Between China & Canada that's $3.4 billion dollars in piracy. In music and movies. Think about that. $3.4 billion at $20 per movie/CD (assuming that's the average) is 170 million movies and CDs not being sold this year. Do they even have
    • by betterunixthanunix ( 980855 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @10:13AM (#22405358)
      Economists love to talk about "loss" due to an item not being sold. Yes, according to economists, accountants, and the companies they work for, you can turn a profit and still take a loss. You could sell your entire stock, but it would be considered a loss if you could have sold it all twice as fast.

      It is basically changing the meaning of the word, "loss." The record companies "lose $511 million per year due to copyright infringement" actually translates to, "had all the songs that were downloaded in a given year been purchased at the current market rate, the record companies would have made $511 million more than they did." For someone who is aware of the economist's meaning of "loss," this is obvious and the record companies don't seem that badly off (imagine if they said that they were actually spending $500 million more than they were taking in; they would be going bankrupt). For someone who is not aware of it, it is deceptive -- it makes it sound like the record companies are in serious financial peril, which is about as far from the truth as claiming that 2+2 = -8 i. That's what the companies want, of course.

      Of course, even the economic sense of the word "loss" is dishonest, because the sales probably wouldn't have happened, especially in the case of students or people living in China (where the price of a CD is, for some people, equivalent to 1 week's pay).

  • by redelm ( 54142 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @09:31AM (#22404974) Homepage
    Well, of course US lawyers might look at Canadian copyright law and find it lacking compared to US law. It will be unfamiliar, and will lack the Sonny Bono [Disney] quasi-perpetuity extention.

    Please note that Canadian lawyers (who enjoy generally greater social respect) will look at US law and find it similarly lacking. But do not have the insufferable American arrogance to claim their national laws should somehow govern all.

    Canada is a different country with different norms and practices. Superficial language similarities mask much deeper fundamental differences. In copyright, Canada has a CD tax to compensate artists for such personal copies. The US does too (Music CD blanks), but it is little enforced.

    As long as both the US and Canada conform to WIPO, neither has reasonable complaint of the others' national customizations. Utter arrogance and extraterritoriality to maintain otherwise.

  • In other news.... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Sepiraph ( 1162995 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @09:31AM (#22404984)
    Canadian Group Calls U.S.A. a Top Humans Rights Violator.
    • by CmdrGravy ( 645153 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @10:42AM (#22405660) Homepage
      I think you'll find that non US citizens aren't actually legally considered to be human and can't therefore be afforded any of the rights enshrined in the US Bill Of Rights and are subject to treatment in whatever fashion the US feels is appropriate.
    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by scruffy ( 29773 )

      Canadian Group Calls U.S.A. a Top Humans Rights Violator.
      So. Copyright law is much more important. Don't you know that by now?
  • CD Tax in Canada (Score:2, Interesting)

    Don't the Canadians pay extra tax to cover lost artists' revenue when they buy a blank CD?
    Doesn't that mean that they have the right to copy all they like since it's already been paid for?
  • by Xest ( 935314 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @09:34AM (#22405010)
    Isn't this something Canada should be proud of?

    Personally I'd love it if they called the UK one of the top copyright violators in the world. Unfortunately our goverment seems to think right now that copyright is more important than even the people that employ them - the general public.
    • by stubear ( 130454 )
      Creators of intellectual property make up a subset of UK citizens so their voice is being heard as well. Quit thinking of this as Faceless Megacorp v. The People and you might begin to grasp the immediacy of legitimate copyright reform for all parties involved. Unfettered distribution of copyrighted works will eventually force production companies to look towards "Reality TV" as a revenue stream and take fewer chances on riskier shows (think "Firefly" or "Babylon 5"). What really pisses me off is many pr
      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by russotto ( 537200 )

        Quit thinking of this as Faceless Megacorp v. The People and you might begin to grasp the immediacy of legitimate copyright reform for all parties involved.

        Why would I quit thinking of it that way? The Faceless Megacorps have gone out of their way to prove it IS that way.

        Unfettered distribution of copyrighted works will eventually force production companies to look towards "Reality TV" as a revenue stream and take fewer chances on riskier shows (think "Firefly" or "Babylon 5").

        No unfettered distributio

  • Violator of US Law (Score:5, Insightful)

    by whisper_jeff ( 680366 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @09:35AM (#22405014)
    Canada is one of the biggest violators of US copyright law? That's ok - the US is one of the biggest violators of Canadian tax law. Oh, wait. What's that? The US isn't bound by Canadian tax laws? Oh. Interesting that. I guess that sort of thing tends to happen when your a different country and make your own laws...
    • Yes Canada shouldn't follow what American lobbiest are saying thats seems asinine, but I believe your missing the actual point. In 1997 Canada signed the "World Intellectual Property Organization treat" that said it would come to standards of the treaty. This is what the DMCA did for the US and what a similar bill would do for us Canadians. The issue is that I have is that the U.S. is lobbying for Canada to mirror the DMCA which in past adaptations of the bill have excluded rights to the consumers. This
  • by presarioD ( 771260 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @09:38AM (#22405042)
    ... so why the fuss?

    It used to be done in secret diplomatic meetings and under a cover of foreign relations when big corporate interests dictated their agenda through government mouthpieces, usually with the threat of military/economic pressure looming in the horizon. Their favorite government of choice to carry their agenda was of course US. Now either because governments are too inefficient to flex rapidly or because vote-counting hasn't been "modernized" yet (Diebold anyone?) and most of all because even the most successful PR campaigns always take a finite amount of time to sway public opinion in desirable directions (e.g. took years to convince americans that Iraq was behind 9/11) corporate interests have taken it upon themselves to apply their gunboat diplomacy.

    Who needs official government representatives meeting each other anymore when articles written by a lobby team in the US can bring a foreign government down? What is outrageous to the average ./er (not to the general public dare I say...) is that they can't believe anymore in the fairytale of corporate capitalism and what a wonderful world it builds for all of us. They see the signs of a vicious fascism creeping everywhere and how even justice and liberty have become commodities to be bought and sold to the highest bidder... well well well... bonne journée!
  • by hilather ( 1079603 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @09:44AM (#22405084)
    So?
  • That anyone in the US underplays the terrible crime of copyright theft.
    >may cause the Canadian government to fall
    !!!!!!
    • may cause the Canadian government to fall

      This is a bit of exaggeration. Anyone following Canadian politics knows that a federal election may be forced in the next few weeks, but the reasons for that are:

      1) Parliamentary vote on the extension of Canada's military mission in Afghanistan.

      2) Parliamentary vote on this years federal budget.

      3) Parliamentary vote on contentious anti-crime bill.

      With a minority government, any of these could, and likely will, trigger an election. Copyright issues are about #7

  • Hm- Anyone else notice the acronym for "Intellectual Property Alliance" = "IPA"?

    How appropriate...

  • This is just gold! (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Necrotica ( 241109 ) <cspencer@@@lanlord...ca> on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @10:05AM (#22405296)
    So Canada is accused of being one the greatest violators of U.S. copyright law. So what? We're Canada! As long as we're not breaking our own laws, I could care less what the U.S. thinks. We're also guilty of not giving the people the right to bear arms. Are you going to criticize us in the press for that too?
  • This lobbying and pressure has got to stop. We're a sovereign country with our own laws for crying out loud.
    You don't like how things work around here, just don't "export" or do business here. Lets face it, if it wasn't profitable for them to operate in Canada they wouldn't.
    So mind your own business, try as best you can to make a buck if you so choose, but let us worry about how we run our own country. </rant>
  • by loftwyr ( 36717 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @10:14AM (#22405366)
    We're number one! We're number one! We're number one!

    You other American law breaking countries never had a chance!
  • While I don't agree with what they're doing, I can see their point of view. It's not that they think that Canada should adopt the US copyright laws or be bound by them. They are purely protecting the interests of copyright holders. Think of it this way: A large majority of music and movies are produced in the United States. That means it's an export to all other countries. I'm trying to think of an equivalent product where it might make sense if the situation was reversed, but I find entertainment to be far
  • Again? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by IBBoard ( 1128019 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @10:29AM (#22405500) Homepage
    Canada is the top copyright violator (overlooking the 'minor' flaw that the copyright laws don't apply in their country since it is US copyright) according to some US group again? I thought Canada had had this label for years?

    I say "good on them" for sticking to their own copyright system (for now). I can't remember the last time our (British) government did something that stood up against the Americans.
  • Thank you. Sincerely, Your Southern Neighbors
  • Think about this:

    "blahblahblah tips an Al Jazeera story reporting that the Saudi Arabia-based International Sharia Law Alliance claims the USA has joined the UK and Holland (you know what those Dutch get up to) among the biggest violators of Islamic Sharia law. Quoting: "The group's report is the latest to urge the Saudi government into pressuring the USA to reform morality and public association laws." As we have previously discussed here, the current Republican government had planned to introduce new m
  • Get your Lobbyists off me you damn dirty DMCA!!!
  • Where's Captain Copyright [wikipedia.org] when you need him? Protecting Canada's youth (and America's content-providers) from the scourge of copyright ignorance...
  • I can assure you that the Canadian government won't "topple" over lobbyist pressures from South of the border. We Canadians have been tactfully handling Yankee special interest groups for years and years. If the Canadian government does fall it will be only because the Liberal minority believes they can win an election. A non-confidence vote triggers an election and the conservative government won't table a confidence vote they can lose unless *they* believe they can win an election. It's a bit of a cat
  • by hyades1 ( 1149581 ) <hyades1@hotmail.com> on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @11:14AM (#22406070)

    The allegation that this issue could bring down the Canadian government is pure, unadulterated bullshit. If Stephen Harper's minority government falls, it will be because that's what he wants. The other major party is in disarray, and Harper's Conservatives see a chance to go after a majority.

    On top of that, the economy is showing signs of following the U.S. economy into the toilet, and Canadians are getting as sick of the way Harper kisses Bush's ass as the American people are of Bush himself. And there are some pretty ugly questions being asked about the government's conduct of our involvement in Afghanistan. The Tories sense that they may never be more popular than they are right now, so they're trying to turn every vote short of a decision on who buys the coffee into a confidence motion.

  • Here is a post by a Canadian Copyright lawyer listing 13 ways in which Canadian Copyright Law is stronger than US Copyright Law: http://excesscopyright.blogspot.com/2007/11/canadas-stronger-copyright-law-bakers.html [blogspot.com]
  • You guys keep violating US copyright law, I'll keep violating the Canadian language laws. No French on MY website, that's for sure.
  • Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @11:43AM (#22406506)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • The media cartel in Canada introduced Captain Copyright [wikipedia.org] to educate the youth about respecting copyright, but the program violated the Wikipedia GNU license because the propoganda contains references from Wikipedia. The program was ultimately dismantled as authorities questioned the deceptive educational value of a program designed to benefit a commercial enterprise.

    They pointed a finger at Canada, but there are three more pointing back to them.

  • FUCK OFF (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Bazouel ( 105242 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @12:23PM (#22407138)
    Seriously, as a Canadian, I say FUCK YOU. Keep your shit south of the border, thank you very much.

    We are sick and tired of this kind of arrogance.
  • by jar240 ( 760653 ) on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @12:47PM (#22407542)

    There are many entertainment services available to the US that aren't available in Canada. For instance, iTunes movie rentals, online network TV episode viewing, etc., Pandora's box (hehehe) are not available in Canada. If the US companies could get their sh!t together and figure out how to sell these services to Canadians, perhaps Canadians wouldn't have to seek entertainment fulfillment through other channels.

    Chris

With your bare hands?!?

Working...