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US Group Wants Canada Blacklisted Over Piracy
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."
As opposed to those huge microchips you get from Intel.
How we know is more important than what we know.
Blame Canada
- Copyright Law
- Business Model
Modernize one.What sound do people on rollercoasters make? Hint: it's not Xbox 360.
A friend and I have discussed whether Canada is part of the Axis of Evil.
We concurred Yes. And reading this article just confirmed it, eh?
In post Patriot Act America, the library books scan you.
Apparently the editors of that press release got it backwards...its the US that has a "copyright regime". What they meant to say was Canada has "realistic and fair copyright laws, and we cannot accept that".
I want a new quote. One that won't spill. One that don't cost too much. Or come in a pill.
'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'
Translation: "We have a stranglehold on the music and movie industries, we want control over video game consoles, as well."
Wizard Needs Food, Badly
... and all other people of the world, when I say that we just LOVE having Americans try to police us and control our affairs!
Don't put us on your list! Whatever will we do if you put our countries name on a list? I mean I might fly to another country and the people there could say "Hey! That guys country is on a LIST! Kill him!"
It could, and probably will, happen.
The article about "blacklisting Canada" appears on the front page of the same paper, the Globe and Mail.
On the same page is another article, "For today's family, time's not on their side -- Hectic schedules, longer work weeks contribute to less togetherness than in 80s".
All right, say it again - both of these are on the front page of the Globe and Mail!
That's why I call it a "humour paper". (However, the National Post is actually funnier!)
Stephan
http://stephan.sugarmotor.org
David Wilkins ( US Ambassador to Canada), who states that Canada doesn't dictate US policy should now go put his head back in his ass. Read about Maher Arar and the ass hattery that came out of David Wilkins mouth.
If Canada doesn't dictate US policy, so too should the US not concern themselves with Canadian policies.
09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
"The problem of unauthorized camcording of films in Canadian theatres is now nearing crisis levels," the group complained.
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.
Mod me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!
I'm not educated about this issue, but what if it's actually a chronically different ideology that prevents Canadians (I am one of them) from adapting American-style anti-consumer laws.
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.)
.. paranoid crackpot leftover from the days of Amiga.
You mean the industry that rakes in more than the movie and music industries ... COMBINED?
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.
Someday, I'll have a real sig.
"failure to modernize its copyright regime" ??
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.
Canada isn't the only nation with slack copyright laws. What about, say Romania, which publically declared that they built their country on piracy. Or for example Sweden which hasn't been cracking down on piracy either?
But that is besides the point. This is just yet another attempt by a US lobby to try to use the US government to boss Canada around.
Over video games?
Cool.
Let's say Canada is on the black list. Then all countries on the black list would only do business togeter and not with the US anymore. Would the US make that mistake? Stoping billions in profits just for some millions lost? That would be so funny (MPAA, etc, shooting themself in the foot). But that would proove a point. When Canada and all others would be on the list, and music and movies would still be on the net, it is at that time, that the shooting in the foot would begin.
No sig for now.
You are a lucky winner in our "Win a Tommahawk Cruise Missile" competition.
Engineering is the art of compromise.
It would be interesting to know just what Canada's obligations are under the Berne convention or any other IP treaties they may have signed. Is this just a bunch of large corporations whining that the rights they think they ought to have aren't universally recognized, or is Canada actually breaking a treaty obligation? Or is the Berne convention sufficiently vague that both sides can plausibly believe they are right? What if a country doesn't want to participate in the Berne convention or trips anymore? (The US didn't sign on until 1989, now we're trying to force our IP laws on everyone else.)
...but I don't know where to start, by size or notority.
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.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
By allowing pirates within their shores, Canada is surely helping alleviate global warming. I thank them.
Some people encrypt by using rot-13 twice. I prefer the more secure method of using rot-1 a total of twenty six times.
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.
It's only paranoia if your wrong...
Take a look at Michael Geist's blog... he's the Lawrence Lessig of Canada.
;)
This message proudly paid by a Montreal Pirate! (whatever that means
Certainly not in Iraq. One of the first things Paul Bremer and the Coalition Provisional Authority introduced in the tatters of a starving nation back in 2003 was the implementation of US Copyright laws.
Possibly the first time a country was invaded for it's lax copyright laws. Watch out Canada!
The last article was completely overblown, and this is even worse.
Once put on notice, failure to address U.S. concerns could result in trade challenges at the World Trade Organization, plus possible sanctions.Need I even go into the many ways the US has violated our free trade agreement. How are different copyright laws even a violation?
...and tiny microchips that allow video-game users to bypass copyright protections...Maybe because the copyright protections violate our basic copyright freedoms? There's no DMCA here.
The industry paints a grim picture of Canada as a country where copyright pirates operate with impunity because of lax laws, poor enforcement and a laissez-faire attitude.In case you haven't noticed, we're lax in all areas of law. How has incarceration helped to reduce US crime rates? Why should copyright violation be a criminal offense? The last article was even so bold to say:
Frith says government bureaucrats try to placate him by saying that under the Copyright Act exhibitors have the ability to charge someone criminally. "But here's the catch. Under the Copyright Act, you have to prove that an individual camcording in the theatre is doing it for distribution purposes. That's almost impossible."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:
Unlike in the United States and most other developed countries, videotaping movies in theatres is not illegal in Canada.What else did they complain about proving?
We don't want to have to prove the economic loss from distribution. We want it to be a Criminal Code activity to be caught camcording. Period.Is that 15th century thinking I hear? Are they going to blacklist every liberal country?
"Highly organized international-crime groups have rushed into the gap left by Canada's outmoded copyright law and now use the country as a springboard from which to undermine legitimate markets in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and elsewhere," the group said.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?
Blacklisting Canada... What an excellent idea!
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 live in BC, the pot capital of North America, and all I can say is the only Chronic failure that I ever see is when someone tries to light up and either their out of Butane or didn't roll properly. Then again...
(catchpa: underway)
I decided to cut and paste someone else's comment. It just seemed easier than buying a comment or writing one myself. ;-)
Seriously, our government imposes an illegal tax whenever we buy blank electronic media that Assumes we are going to use it for illegal (copyright infringement) purposes. This not only violates the innocent until proven guilty but also results in a flow of money back to the artists through SOCAN based on our probable crimes.
If someone in the US has actual knowledge of a physical IP infringement activity in Canada, tell the police here. They will go and arrest the people responsible. Sheesh - we are members of WIPRO and do enforce IP laws as per our obligations. What we will not bow to is unsubstantiated claims without facts. Show us the crimes!
"Question everything, including this!" - http://technoracle.blogspot.com/
I'd like to see what the reaction would be. It might surprise many Americans, but there is a fair amount of anti-american sentiment here north of the 49. I know we seem friendly and all, but really we're just polite. (Note: I like American's just fine... well all the ones that aren't the president... and a few others...)
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...
That's "free rein", not "free reign". It's a metaphor from horses (reins) not kings (reigns). See here.
15 million Canadians still agree that "Starbucks" should be blacklisted.
I tried to think of a good sig, and this wasn't it.
How's aboot we withold Canadian bacon, maple syrup and cheap pharmacy drugs from Americans?
has anyone considered setting up a not for profit consortium that you can donate money to/join that buys shares in these media companys with the stated goal of gaining enough shares to beable to vote on things inside the company? the mere existence of such a thing would scare the shit out of companys, since they are all publicly tradable.
If you mod me down, I will become more powerful than you can imagine....
First of all, I am a Canadian, so I'm not speaking out of ignorance.
When it comes to standing up to Americans, we're all bark and no bite. After all, we accepted the Free Trade Agreement and NAFTA. We allowed Chapter 11 of NAFTA to get passed, a provision allowing corporations to sue Canadian governments for any laws that caused them to lose profits. Now would we allow a NAFTA provision that required Canada to price oil and gas the same as in the U.S., and to supply oil to the U.S. before ourselves, buying back the value-added refined product in the form of petroleum, and then committing to supply the U.S. first even in the event of an energy crisis. We allowed American companies to engage in massive numbers of takeovers of Canadian companies when the Canadian dollar was low, especially our oil companies, to the point that a substantially larger number of Canadians work for American owned companies than ever before. We allowed the federal government to outsource government data on Canadian citizens to U.S. companies operating on U.S. This has made our data subject to the U.S. "Patriot Act".
Countries whose citizens are truly negative toward the U.S. government and U.S. corporations, like Russia, wouldn't tolerate any of the above policies.
Sorry, but when it comes to standing up to the U.S. government and U.S. corporations, we're a bunch of weenies.
This space left intentionally blank.
I travel to Canada quite a bit, and one thing I find there is a general respect for the law. But, respect works both ways and fair use is fair use.
Just because the US was pressured into these silly ideas of Intellectual Property Owners can rule your mind, doest make them right.
I think what the Riaa and Mpaa are worried about is that Canadians are still customers to be sold, not consumers to be culled.
There are very few places on earth that are as fair and law abiding as Canada, but when we ask them to enact silly DMCA like laws, they might just not agree they want them.
Remember, there is no such thing as Intellectual Property ownership, just a limited monopoly on the rights of distribution, excepting fair use.
The whole world could learn from Canada on this.
Cheers
* Carthago Delenda Est *
- "Let's send the Omega Force!"
- "There's a time to think, and there's a time to act. And this, gentlemen, is not a time to think."
- "Canadians are always dreaming up a lotta ways to ruin our lives. The metric system, for the love of God! Celsius! Neil Young!" ... and now Piracy!
and last, but not least:
- "Stop piracy, pronto! Or we'll level Toronto!"
cpghost at Cordula's Web.
Sorry, but your information is incorrect. According to the old rules, the limit was $5,000 for individuals, and $1,000 for unions and corporations.
According to the new rules that took effect January 1st, the limit is
That's from individuals, so a family of four could potentially contribute 4 * (4 * $1,100) = $17,600.
That seems "significant" to me.
A recursive sig
Can impart wisdom and truth
Call proc signature()
I don't think that nobody with a rational mind can really hate America or Americans. Yes it's true that American government does from time to time very fucked up things. Yes it's true that most Americans seem more or less ignorant or straight stupid from the eyes of the rest of the world. Even so, that really doesn't make justifiable to hate America or Americans. When you look at other nations and previous superpowers, they have done and do same things and at times have seemed to the rest of the world as bunch of morons. Then again, many nations and peoples have hated English, Germans, French, Russian, Japanese, Chinese and so on. So what sets America and Americans a part from the previous group? Well at least that you guys laugh actively to yourself and you always have some people arguing against the majority that does stupid things. Actually this is just what an episode of Southpark was about, where Cartman dreamed to the times of making the independence declaration.
So nobody hates you guys, but if you keep on your current track, the real danger is that you become indifferent to the rest of the world. Indifferent meaning that the rest of the world doesn't anymore look up to you and say "oh my god, we must do exactly like the Americans" and instead say "America? What ever, I don't care". But hey, it's not too late to repair the damage, just execute your lawyers and think-of-the-children people and I say your again ahead of the world.
Survey research tool for commercial and scientific use
Celine Dion.
That will give you pause.
This space is intentionally staring blankly at you
Clinton. It was passed in 1998 - Bush didn't take office until 2001. 'Nuff said.
W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
Why thank you. We've preserved drug laws for the US, but we'll keep steady on our copyright laws, I hope. We do pay a 21 cent levy on CDs, which goes straight to our RIAA, regardless of how the CD is used. 21 cents is more than the value of most music albums nowadays, so it's pretty much a given that we can copy all we want.
"When the atomic bomb goes off there's devastation...but when the atomic bong goes off there's celebraaaaation!"
"George Bush thinking he's the leader of the free world"
Because of George Bush, the US isn't even IN the free world anymore.