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RCMP Won't Go After Personal Filesharers

mlauzon writes "The RCMP announced that it will stop targeting people who download copyrighted material for personal use (Google translation). Their priority will be to focus on organized crime and copyright theft that affects the health and safety of consumers, such as copyright violations related to medicine and electrical appliances, instead of the cash flow of large corporations. Around the same time that the CRIA successfully took Demonoid offline, the RCMP made clear that Demonoid's users don't have to worry about getting prosecuted, at least not in Canada. 'Piracy for personal use is no longer targeted,' Noël St-Hilaire, head of copyright theft investigations of the RCMP, said in an interview. 'It is too easy to copy these days and we do not know how to stop it.'"

6 of 405 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Ambivalent feelings by trolltalk.com · · Score: 5, Informative

    "Illegal file-sharing is not proper theft but it is without a doubt a fraud, as you are getting a service (entertainment) without paying for it."

    Wrong. Canadians DO pay for it, via a levy on recording materials (blank CDs, etc) that goes back to the recording industry, so its not even "fraud."

  2. Re:Now, next on the list. by ceoyoyo · · Score: 4, Informative

    We tried to decriminalize pot but the USians objected and we decided selling them stuff was more important.

  3. Re:Unfortunately by CastrTroy · · Score: 5, Informative

    The OPP only counts if you live in Ontario. There's a QPP for Quebec. None of the other provinces AFAIK have provincial police forces. They all depend on the RCMP. In some places, such as the far north, and other sparsely populated areas, the RCMP are the only police. Also, looking at this from a different angle, what I think they are saying is that the RCMP has bigger fish to fry. People that are much more dangerous. It's not worth the resources to hunt down personal file sharers, because they aren't hurting anybody. I imagine that the OPP would probably feel the same way. The local police might care about catching people doing petty crimes like this, but probably don't have the resources or technical expertise.

    --

    Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
  4. You forgot about China? by Animaether · · Score: 4, Informative

    Certainly doesn't seem that way on a map - but most map projections are incredibly deceiving. CIA factbook figures:

    RUSSIA
    https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rs.html
    total: 17,075,200 sq km
    land: 16,995,800 sq km
    water: 79,400 sq km

    CHINA
    https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html
    total: 9,596,960 sq km
    land: 9,326,410 sq km
    water: 270,550 sq km

    USA
    https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
    total: 9,826,630 sq km
    land: 9,161,923 sq km
    water: 664,707 sq km
    note: includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia ( add some for the all the islands, if counting )

    CANADA
    https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ca.html
    total: 9,984,670 sq km
    land: 9,093,507 sq km
    water: 891,163 sq km

  5. C'mon up to Canada Y'all by Adeptus_Luminati · · Score: 4, Informative

    Reasons to move to Canada:

    1. You won't get prosecuted for piracy
    2. Our dollar is now worth more than the US dollar
    3. We don't have perfect leaders, but most if not all are more intelligent than Bush
    4. We still have some degree of privacy left (aka. our telcos dont spy on us)
    5. We have beautiful natural wonders
    6. We have much greater diversity of cultures, weather & landscapes.
    7. Our beer is much better (& stronger)
    8. You can throw a rock in urban cities and hit 3 starbuck locations.
    9. We rule at ice hockey
    10. You get to wear a tuque, pet a beaver, eat maple syrup, and say eh? instead of huh?

    --
    No trees were killed in the making of this post; however, many trillions of electrons were horribly inconvenienced.
  6. Re:News Flash from our cute neighbors to the north by debrain · · Score: 4, Informative

    Canada's got way more land mass than the U.S. Only country with more land mass than Canada is Russia. Canada
    Area
    Total: 9,984,670 km (2nd)
    Water (%): 8.92 (891,163 km) ... 9984670 - 891163 = 9 093 507
    Thus, Canada has 9,093,507 sq km of land mass.

    United States
    Area
      - Total 9,826,630 km [1](3rd2)
    3,793,079 sq mi
      - Water (%) 6.76 ... 9826630 - (9826630 * 0.0676 = ) = 9826630 - 664280 = 9 162 350
    Thus, the United States has 9,162,350 sq km of land mass.

    9 093 506 sq km (Canada's land mass) is less than 9,162,350 sq km (the US land mass), therefore your statement seems incorrect. Canada does have more total area, but more of that area is water.