Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy

Neither Minister Prentice nor Minister Vernier understands the digital technology they are legislating out of the hands of millions of Canadians. I doubt Prentice has used an iPod more than a little, and would probably curse a blue streak if he ever got a computer virus and formatted. He’d not know how to (or would not be legally allowed to) save his DRM’ed (locked) music.

He’s encouraging Digital Restrictions Management (digitally locked) as the standard format for digital work. There is no incentive for artists to not use DRM, should this law pass. Think about it: If your copyright is infringed, you can only seek $500 damages if you did not DRM your work. If you have put DRM on a CD, DVD, or download, then you can get $20,000 in damages awarded to you in a case of infringement. That’s 40 times more money at your theoretical fingertips!

Vernier using “download” for “upload” was not an english/french language barrier, it’s a technology one. These people are not competent to write a bill that is technology based.

Also, why is the same protection of “digital locking” not provided in the analog world to creators who can’t digitally lock their content? A painter can copyright a work, but they only get $500, not $20,000 if they sue someone! How does that “protect” or “balance” anything among creators?

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Hat tip to Alberta: Get Rich or Die Trying

Canadian creators see how this bill harms them too:

It’s anti-constitutional, and not Canadian.

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If the Conservatives survive another session of Parliament, Bill C-61 will be among the scandals that they will have to face up to.

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Hat tip to POGGE

And my title isn’t quite what the meme is, but enjoy this photo at The Wingnutterer. It would be useful if Jim Prentice became aware of Internet traditions, preferably all of them.

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Hat tip

My readers know that Bill C-61 is a crock, but what is something you can tell people so they’ll understand how Conservative Jim Prentice is selling out their liberty to litigious copyright businesses, and lawyers?

First you might need to know that Canada agreed to ratify the WIPO copyright agreements made pretty much worldwide by developed countries. That’s the official reason for introducing these amendments to the Copyright Act.

Jesse from CBC asked the Minister, “All the ‘freedoms’ your law guarantees us can be overridden by DRM, right?”
When defending that part of the new amendments, what does Jim say?
“The market will take care of it.”

Well Mr. Minister. What in the blazes do we need a law for if the market will decide? I have news for you Jim: The market decided. Remember Napster? (No, of course you don’t.) The Napster generation decided that if record labels were going to cling to lawsuits and CDs, and Digital Restrictions Management (digital locks) then we’d take our money elsewhere.

The whole reason for the bill was supposed to be because the market was deciding, and other WIPO countries like the USA were getting upset at the comparable liberty that Canadians had. The only thing Prentice wants the market to decide (according to his bill), is how often big-business will threaten you with lawsuits and false accusations even when you’ve done nothing illegal.

The Canadian DMCA Bill C-61 has tens of thousands of Canadians plotting to take down the Conservative government. Almost surprisingly, in my opinion, the more formal education you have, the more likely you are to oppose this bill. I don’t think that’s taking into account young people who haven’t yet graduated from high school, most of whom would surely oppose their lifestyles being criminalized. Disturbingly, if the poll is accurate, the educated have a lot of teaching to do, in order to turn public opinion squarely against this outrageous sell out to American special interests.

Poll courtesy of Lance.

You also SHOULD NOT MISS the [almost] 10 Minute Interview with Jesse at Search Engine cornering Prentice on every day, real life scenarios. Prentice says nothing true, or ethical aside from pointing out that the government is not going to find copyright violators, it’s going to be all private damages sought in court by copyright holders. Supposedly record companies can’t sue for the copyright holding artists, that was the probably bogus suggestion given by Prentice since it’s my understanding that the record labels own the copyrights for the artists they represent.

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Hat tip to Geist’s Facebook group, which you should join if you have Facebook.

There will be more in my series on Bill C-61, you can count on that.

CC’s blog has some apt words for the Minister too.

Jim Prentice isn’t getting the message it appears. He still doesn’t understand that “industrial consumers” are not his constituents, and thus should not determine the outcome of Copyright legislation.

- It’s hard to say what the low-light of this exchange is. I’d vote for when Prentice mocks the NDP MP for knowing about WIPO and the DMCA. It’s undeniable that Industry Canada is basing their copyright bill on WIPO, yet Prentice continues to lie and imply that a debate is irrelevant. Yes, it is a lie, because what he’s telling us certainly isn’t the truth. Why else would he be stalling and using lame jokes instead of answering the question?!

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Hat tip to Nunc Scio