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Lobby Groups Launch Full Assault For Canadian DMCA

Posted by Soulskill on from the sneak-it-through-while-everyone's-watching-playoff-hockey dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Bill C-61, the previous attempt at a Canadian DMCA, may have failed, but it is clear that the music, movie, and business software industries are engaged in putting massive pressure on the Canadian government to bring it back. Lobbying records show several meetings each week with Government Ministers for CRIA, CMPDA, and Microsoft over the past month. Meanwhile, the CRIA is preparing a grassroots campaign in support of new copyright laws, even claiming that the current rules are costing jobs to truck drivers delivering CDs and DVDs."

6 of 135 comments (clear)

  1. You are a bit late. by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 4, Informative

    A number of popular names have started doing that already. Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, and lots more.

    1. Re:You are a bit late. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      I found this Jamendo site recently, free music from independant artists...50% of advertising revenue goes to artists and 100% of all donations made.

      Sounds like workable model.

      Will be curious how it all turns out.

    2. Re:You are a bit late. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Have you seen www.magnatunes.com?

  2. Re:If truck drivers are losing their jobs.... by palegray.net · · Score: 2, Informative

    I don't know if paying an extra tax on recordable media counts as a "system that works."

    --
    512 MB RAM, 20 GB disk, 200 GB transfer, five datacenters. $19.95/month.
  3. Re:I admit they are not Canadian... by Your.Master · · Score: 3, Informative

    I can definitely think of reasons they wouldn't help in Canada, not the least of which is an entirely different legal framework within which to fight, where the US constitution does not apply and your legal rights are different (greater in some areas, lesser in others).

    But, anyway, they do support a Canadian organization:

    http://www.onlinerights.ca/

    Not formally affiliated but they are more or less the Canadian equivalent. The EFF defends rights in the US constitution which simply do not (legally) apply in Canada. The EFC defends those laid out in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

    That said, both of the organisations come with baggage that is not really related to the RIAA (for example, Warrantless Wiretapping). If you want to support them in opposition to the RIAA, make sure they don't disagree with you on some important principle. This goes generally for any activist or charity cause, but I feel it's important to call out that it's not a single-issue organisation.

  4. Maybe we should tell the CRIA by canwaf · · Score: 2, Informative

    Maybe someone should tell the CRIA that "grassroots" campaigns coming from paid staffers is called astroturf.