Canadians Argue Against DMCA-like Law in Mini-Documentary
Canadians Argue Against DMCA-like Law in Mini-Documentary
May 7, 2009
The Obama administration slammed Canada last week, adding our northern neighbor to a list of what the office of the U.S. Trade Representative says are nations which fail badly at copyright protection. U.S. media rights holders, including video game publishers' lobbying group ESA, lauded the USTR's addition of Canada to its Priority Watch List.
Some Canadians reacted with anger, claiming the action was driven by America's corporate IP lobby and arguing that Canada should not bow to such consumer-unfriendly pressure.
Via boingboing, we've gotten a look at C-61, a mini-documentary which addresses the Canadian government's so far unsuccessful attempt to pass DMCA-style copyright law.
boingboing's Cory Doctorow, who provided some narration to the film, comments:
A group of Canadian copyfighters produced this mini-documentary, "C-61," about the proposed new Canadian copyright law, which the US government is pressuring Canada to pass (that's why the USA added Canada to a nonsensical list of pirate nations).
Previous attempts to pass this bill have been a disgrace -- famously, former Industry Minister Jim Prentice refused to discuss the bill with Canadian record labels, artists, tech firms, or telcos, but did meet with American and multinational entertainment and software giants to allow them to give their input. In the bill's earlier incarnation as C-60, its sponsor, Sam Bulte, was caught taking campaign contributions from the same US and multinational entertainment companies...
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Posted 11/20/09 at 05:42pm
ZippyDSMlee: oh may the cute stab out your eyes, http://www.youtube.com/user/simonscat
ZippyDSMlee: oh may the cute stab out your eyes, http://www.youtube.com/user/simonscat
Posted 11/20/09 at 05:17pm
JDKJ: O.K. Suit yourself. But when you're wearing Ray-Bans, sitting on a curb with a white cane and a cup of pencils, and doing Stevie Wonder impersonations, don't say I didn't warn you.
JDKJ: O.K. Suit yourself. But when you're wearing Ray-Bans, sitting on a curb with a white cane and a cup of pencils, and doing Stevie Wonder impersonations, don't say I didn't warn you.
Posted 11/20/09 at 05:10pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No thank you I don;t want your cooties...or STDs...
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No thank you I don;t want your cooties...or STDs...
Posted 11/20/09 at 05:01pm
JDKJ: Me. I'm rehearsing the role just in case I do get dubbed Zippy The Soecnda.
JDKJ: Me. I'm rehearsing the role just in case I do get dubbed Zippy The Soecnda.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:59pm
DarkSaber: Wait, is that meant to be Zippy, me or you?
DarkSaber: Wait, is that meant to be Zippy, me or you?
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:49pm
JDKJ: I cud caer lez. =^^= *wakes up in mid-afternoon after staying up until 3:00AM soldering resistors on to circuit boards, stumbles around in formerly white but now grey underwear, while simultaneously scratching groin with vigor and making coffee*
JDKJ: I cud caer lez. =^^= *wakes up in mid-afternoon after staying up until 3:00AM soldering resistors on to circuit boards, stumbles around in formerly white but now grey underwear, while simultaneously scratching groin with vigor and making coffee*
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:46pm
DarkSaber: knell? Don't you mean Neil? Anymore of tht and I'll dub thee Zippy The Soecnda
DarkSaber: knell? Don't you mean Neil? Anymore of tht and I'll dub thee Zippy The Soecnda
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:44pm
JDKJ: Now, now, Saber. Don't be salty. You weren't the first one to knell and bob and you ain't gonna be the last one, either.
JDKJ: Now, now, Saber. Don't be salty. You weren't the first one to knell and bob and you ain't gonna be the last one, either.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:42pm
DarkSaber: JD's feeling rather desperate it seems.
DarkSaber: JD's feeling rather desperate it seems.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:33pm
JDKJ: C'mon, Zip. You already touch yourself way too much. Spread the love. Before you go blind.
JDKJ: C'mon, Zip. You already touch yourself way too much. Spread the love. Before you go blind.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:27pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No and I ain't touching any part of you or your friends!! :P
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No and I ain't touching any part of you or your friends!! :P
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:25pm
JDKJ: @Zip: You know Lik Mitaint?
JDKJ: @Zip: You know Lik Mitaint?
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:18pm
ZippyDSMlee: neill and bob,oldest giveing head joke and most lamest...
ZippyDSMlee: neill and bob,oldest giveing head joke and most lamest...
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:18pm
JDKJ: But thanks for the memory. MIB's a classic. *sings* "Here come the Men in Black. Galaxy defenders. Here come the Men in Black. They won't let you remember."
JDKJ: But thanks for the memory. MIB's a classic. *sings* "Here come the Men in Black. Galaxy defenders. Here come the Men in Black. They won't let you remember."
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:18pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:for the record I told you you can suck your own dck.
ZippyDSMlee: JD:for the record I told you you can suck your own dck.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:07pm
JDKJ: Naw, man. That's Mueedeegiaap and Bob. And you can stop bobbing. I got Zippy bobbing now, too.
JDKJ: Naw, man. That's Mueedeegiaap and Bob. And you can stop bobbing. I got Zippy bobbing now, too.
Posted 11/20/09 at 03:56pm
DarkSaber: OH I get it now! It's Men In Black quote! The twins that run the comm centre in HQ.
DarkSaber: OH I get it now! It's Men In Black quote! The twins that run the comm centre in HQ.
Posted 11/20/09 at 03:49pm
JDKJ: I'd like to introduce you to them. First, Neil. Then, Bob.
JDKJ: I'd like to introduce you to them. First, Neil. Then, Bob.
Posted 11/20/09 at 03:47pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:I know they are intimate friends of yours...
ZippyDSMlee: JD:I know they are intimate friends of yours...
Posted 11/20/09 at 03:44pm
JDKJ: @Zip: You know Neil and Bob?
JDKJ: @Zip: You know Neil and Bob?
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Comments
"Sam Bulte, was caught taking campaign contributions from the same US and multinational entertainment companies . . . ."
Did they steal this from the Jack Thompson Playbook? If the mere fact that a legislator has received a campaign contribution from an entity who would benefit from their favorable vote on a piece of legislation was enough to disqualify the legislator from voting, then 95% of the Free World's legislators wouldn't have to bother showing up for work every day.
And what's up with the "was caught" part? Was Bulte trying to evade capture? I don't know squat about Canadian campaign law, but I bet what they're talking about as Bulte being "caught" ain't nothing more than someone looking up his required campaign finance disclosures and discovering that he received contributions from certain entertainment companies. And so what? Did the Mounties thereafter lead him away in handcuffs, charge with breach of public faith and accepting bribes? I'll bet not.
In Canada it is illegal for a company to provide any campaign contributions. Contributions from individuals are limited to $5000.
Edit: On second check, I see that corporations are allowed to contribute a maximum of $1000 collectively to a party, regardless of the number of candidates, electoral district associations, and nomination contestants.
So you're right, she wasn't exactly caught, but there was some controversy surrounding it.
But I was wrong about her being a "he." I hate it when people go by androgynous names.
I don't know if her full name would have helped any. It's Sarmite Drosma Bulte.
Other countries can be quite wary of campaign contributions from commercial interests. I know if something like that news came out here in New Zealand it would be considered a conflict of interest and there would be calls for the Minister to resign. Personally I prefer it that way, but I have to admit that the idea of US-style lobbyists scares the hell out of me.
I'm throwing this out there because I suspect that it's a little-known fact:
In the United States, the making of campaign contributions enjoys not one but, rather, two types of constitutional protections: the right of free speech and the right of free association.
And the right of open corruption that everyone ignores.
We don't need a separation of church and state...we need a separation of money and government!!
As long as money freely flows in government the people will be lead by nobility instead of their peers.
I am a criminal because I purchase media,I am a criminal because I use media, I am a criminal because I chose to own media..We shall remain criminals until Corporate stay's outside our bedrooms..
http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com
Who knew it'd be so hard to export corruption?
Classic.
Is nice to see people fighting for there freedoms, even in other countries outside the us.
http://www.magicinkgaming.com/
So since they failed to bribe Canada into doing what they want them to, they're having the US government blackmail them now? That's cold, man.
Exactly. This is because of all kinds of industry pressure and nothing else.
The reason for all this copyright legislation and debate becomes pretty simple if you look at who's behind it. The MBAs who run large corporations are not creative, they cannot create anything that will compel other people to buy. They only make money based on OTHER people's creations and their control of it.
They want to keep as much control over the "intellectual property" as possible because it is their property. They don't have the intellect to create more.
I hope that there's a revolution coming where power is shifted to people who actually MAKE things and contribute to society, instead of those who manage and sponge off other people's acheivements.
If that's your hope, then you should also hope that the capital which finances the ability of creative sorts to make things and which also finances the marketing and distribution of the things they make also gets shifted to them. But you should be aware: creative sorts usually suck at money management.
I believe that would be part of that revolution as well. As great a system money is for us to exchange goods and service, money itself doesn't really contribute anything to society. It's also gotten to the point where the money system is about finding and making loopholes so that it can self propogate... money has become more important than the products and services that it's supposed to be exchanged for. And the people managing the money are making all of it. Not to mention screwing things up for the rest of us (i.e. the current sh!t pile the world finds itself in right now).
Anyhow, that's besides the point. The point is that right now, the money pretty much gets split 10% creators 90% business/marketing... I'm hoping that more money will be shifted to the people creating.
Before I can agree or disagree with your redistribution plan, I'd need to know the value of the current contributions from each camp. If the creators are contributing around 10% of total investment and the capitalists are contributing around 90% of total investment, then the current profit-sharing plan you describe sounds entirely fair to me.
You do realize that piracy steals from the people who make things, right? Every illegally downloaded movie, or pirated song or game, is one less copy the person who made it gets royalties for. It's not just the "greedy corporations." How do you think the people who make the IP get paid?
Freedom of speech means the freedom to say ANYTHING, so long as it is the truth. This does not exclude anything that might hurt someone's feelings.
Resist Canada, resit the disgusting corruption. As an American how hates the DMCA you have my best wishes in keeping this filth from your own legal codes.