Canada Introduces DMCA-Style Copyright Law

P Starrson writes "The Canadian government this afternoon kept one promise many could live without. It introduced new copyright legislation that will bring DMCA-style legislation to Canada (backgrounder and FAQ here but bill still not online). Professor Michael Geist has apparently seen a copy and points out on his blog that while the bill does not go as far as the United States, the proposal is full of new rights for the music industry with precious little for users."

Comments

Inaccurate Headline

[Anonymous Coward]

They didn't introduce a new law, they introduced a new bill. It's not a law yet, and hopefully won't be.

Please don't make such misleading headlines.

Re:Inaccurate Headline

[Drakonian]

Correct. So please - write, call or email your MPs! (Writing probably best.)

List of Canadian MPs

Interesting bit

[grub]

FTA (emphasis mine) This does not alter the right to make a personal copy (including a P2P download) but does set some tough limits on what users are entitled to do with those copies.

That will be next on the entertainment cartel's radar.

Re:So, the obvious next question

[Beardo the Bearded]

Here's what we do:

First, don't panic.

Once a bill is introduced, the following must happen. You should know this if you're a Canadian.

1. It is read for the first time in the House of Commons (which has apparently been done.)

2. The bill goes to the Senate, which will set up a committee to go over the bill and modify / approve it.

3. The modified bill will go to the HoC again for a second reading. If passed again, it returns to the Senate for further editing.

4. After the Senate looks over it again, it goes back to the HoC for a third reading and announcement. Once the law has been announced, then it goes into the Copyright Act.

Note that many laws have been passed but never announced, making them unenforceable.

To prevent this bill from being passed, do this:

1. Call and write and email your MP. It's free to do so in Canada. Go to their office and tell them that you want to talk about the bill. (Know the number before you go down.) Don't expect to meet with them. You just want the staff to know that someone was there about Bill C-X and who doesn't support it. Remember that they have their faxes full with US fundie groups complaining about gay marriage.

2. Tell them that you vote and your friends vote. This shouldn't be a lie. (I think that if someone says they don't vote, it's okay to hit them since it's self-defence.)

3. Tell them that if this passes, it's enough to get you to vote for a party that doesn't support it.

4. Remind them that free distribution of Canadian content keeps Canadian culture alive. (Hint: Tragically Hip >> Nickelback.)

5. Talk about the levy placed on blank media that compensates the recording industry.

Two other things of vital note:

1. In Canada, the loser pays the court costs. It's not like in the US where you can bankrupt someone by suing them. If you get in trouble, lawyer up. If your ISP calls, get them to forward all communication to your lawyer.

2. The ISP can charge for providing the information to the industry. I use Shaw, and I can't possibly see them passing up free money. I mean, come on, it's Shaw.

3. Set up a neighbourhood network. Get a good router and let your neighbours in on it. Keep the network open. Keep no records of who has what IP address. Then they have no idea who's doing the infriging since you don't know either!