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13 Countries On US "Priority Watch List" For Copyright Piracy

hapworth writes "The International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) has submitted a report on the top 40 countries guilty of piracy to The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), which is preparing for its annual 'Special 301' report. This report describes the adequacy and effectiveness of US trading partners' protection of intellectual property rights. Among the 40 countries suggested by the IIPA for the watch list, 13 were recommended for placement on the USTR's 'Priority Watch List.' These countries include Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Costa Rica, the Philippines, Spain, Ukraine, and Vietnam. While previous reports have focused on physical piracy, this year's emphasizes cracking down on online piracy."

48 of 277 comments (clear)

  1. I'm sorry mr. Ballmer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    In my country Windows is counted among free software, you mad?

  2. speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by s4ltyd0g · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Phoque you eh?

    1. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by Mashiki · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Seriously. We have a better and more stringent method for copy protection, and piracy. But we're evil or something. Must be because the 'gov' decided that downloading music isn't evil, or piracy if it's for personal use.

      Well that's okay, I don't listen to the shit they have on the radio.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    2. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      As a Canadian, do you have any idea why Canadia ended up on the list? The rest I can understand, with the possible exception of Spain, but Canada? Really?

      Canada is always included on their list of naughty countries. It's some trade association though, so take any of their claims with a mountain of salt.

      As usual, Michael Geist's site is refreshingly informative.
      http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/3920/135/ "U.S. List Unfairly Tarnishes Canada's Digital Reputation" from 2009.

    3. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 4, Informative

      This has been a running issue for a few years now. I think it's largely because they want to make an example of Canada to convince them to pass the Canadian version of the DMCA.

    4. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      This wikipedia page might shed some light on why Canada made priority watch list http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_sharing_in_Canada

    5. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by hawkingradiation · · Score: 5, Informative

      It is because we have legislation in the works (Bill C-32) that the US government, er music and film industry, thinks will help give them more money. So far, it is called the "DMCA of Canada" for good reason. i.e. restriction of breaking digital locks for any reason, and although the Conservative government says it is willing to make modifications based on the input of Canadians, basically it has ignored the input given last summer by thousands of Canadians through "Copyright Consultations" and is pushing ahead. The Liberals (not a swear word here) have proposed modifications such as an Internet levy to pay for artists, however almost none of the money that the CD-levy has actually not gone to the artists themselves. Here is the Bill, and not is is a lot longer and complex that the original law that we have to today. Our Heritage Minister branded us as "not wanting to modernize Canadian law", because most Canadians who know about the law know that it does not need changing. In fact parts of the Canadian government seem to go lock-step with their US counterparts, with both Prentice (former Industry Minister) and Clement (current Industry Minister) being sent to the US to meet with US government officials about this law as one of the first things they have done when they took office. So to the US who is helping to introduce a law that most Canadians feel is unnecessary: "Go shove it".

      --
      Society use your Sciences
    6. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by techno_dan · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I ignore the US on these and many world issues, because they only complain when Oil or money is involved, and only pass laws that increase profit for the few. Since money controls the US government, profit is God, and they will never allow fair use. In Canada, I buy any media, and I can break the encryption so that I can make backups, and also place them on my media server. I never give to others. At the same time, when a new CD comes out, I download some songs for free, and if I like enough of them, then buy the cd. If not, they are deleted. Why, because it is very rare now to hear albums on the radio, and in no way will I pay big bucks for something that ends up having one good track and the rest junk. Some will say "buy individual songs". I would if they were in the lossless format I use. What the world should do, is totally ignore the US. If they stop selling to us, then it is there loss.

    7. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by pnewhook · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That's ok that Canada is on the list. The US is on Canada's list of countries harboring war criminals (Bush).

      --
      Tesla was a genius. Edison however was a overrated hack who liked to torture puppies.
    8. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by Steve+Newall · · Score: 2

      Looking at the wiki page and the Government of Canada Justice department web site http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/C-42/page-5.html#anchorbo-ga:l_VIII it looks like copying for private use is NOT piracy. "Copying for Private Use ... onto an audio recording medium for the private use of the person who makes the copy does not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the musical work, the performer’s performance or the sound recording." I guess it's not the file sharers the US doesn't like, it's the Canadian government.

    9. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by AchilleTalon · · Score: 2

      Yes, we are making the short list because our IP laws permit private copy and royalities are collected on blank DVD, CD and a couple of other media and redistributed to the artists as a way to pay them back and recognize at the same time it is impossible to control the phenomenon of file sharing unless we become a totalitarian country, which is not yet in our plans.

      --
      Achille Talon
      Hop!
    10. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      Yeah, that's basically the situation. The most bizarre thing about Bill C-32 was the way Prentice (relevant minister at the time of the previous version) went into a press conference touting how great it would be for Canadians to be able to legally backup their DVD, CD or other media and transfer it to ipods and other devices. The new provisions in there specifically allowed this, whereas before it was always a grey zone whether it fell under fair dealing or not. When people asked him how it would be possible for people to legally exercise that new right when the proposed revisions simultaneously made it illegal to break the encryption on DVDs, he looked like a deer in the headlights. Either he had no clue that the legislation had contradictions built into it like that, or he didn't understand the question. Either way the new version isn't much better, this legislation has NOT been fully thought through, and although they've tried to blunt some of the stupidity that was in the US DMCA, it's a rather lackluster effort. And this is the third fricking time a revised copyright bill has been proposed via 3 different governments, and it's still not done right, with a decent balance! You'd think they'd get a clue after the ever-increasing amount of critical feedback they've been getting. The simplest solution to the problems of the anti-circumvention portions would be to say: if what you're doing isn't otherwise illegal under copyright law (e.g., what you're doing falls under fair dealing), then the anti-circumvention portions of the law don't apply. People have suggested that over and over again. It's obvious that they simply don't want to roll back some of the more egregious problems, probably because companies don't want any loopholes that might be exploited.

      "So to the US who is helping to introduce a law that most Canadians feel is unnecessary: "Go shove it"."

      That's not very Canadian.

      "Please shove it" would be a more appropriate response.

    11. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by hjf · · Score: 5, Informative

      It's not about that, and here goes my usual rant again:

      Companies DON'T GIVE A FUCK about countries like mine. We don't have itunes, netflix, lala, pandora, hulu, xbox live, nothing. We also don't have game stores (microsoft doesn't import the xbox 360 or games, so even if you have one, you can't buy games simply because there are no places to buy them). Blockbuster closed too.

      Sony does import the PS3 (at USD 800) and games (2-3x the US price).

      So in one hand we have a middle class, with money, willing to buy things. In the other hand we have 60-something investors which think we still live in trees and there is no market for their products, and decide just not to sell them, or a very small "luxury" market, like the PS3.

      If companies one day decided to start selling their stuff, for a reasonable price, I know people will buy them. How do I know this? Because I have a comic book shop. My customers are mostly teenagers who want the latest Naruto episode, and can get it from free from the internet just hours after it's been released in Japan. We have a local Naruto edition (in paper I mean) and guess what? It sells out.

      My dad's friend works at a BMW dealership. They sold all BMWs last year. There is even a waiting list!

      I live in a city of 400,000 and I know there are at least 10 dvd rental stores, and even 1 bluray-only rental store. So much for poor people living in trees.

      You know what the problem with piracy really is? People selling pirated movies in the street. That's the real problem, but movie studios can't do anything about them, because our government won't. And, you see, people selling pirated movies in the street or not, there are dvd rental stores doing just fine.

    12. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The US is on Canada's list of countries harboring war criminals (Bush).

      That's a bit harsh. Anyway, everybody knows Bush wouldn't have been found competent to stand trial.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    13. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by PopeRatzo · · Score: 3, Funny

      I think it's largely because they want to make an example of Canada to convince them to pass the Canadian version of the DMCA.

      That's only part of it. Personally, I think a lot of the reason my homeland, the USA has a chip on its shoulder about Canada is because you've had the bad manners to have universal health care. I mean, what makes you so special that you think you shouldn't go bankrupt if you get sick like God intended? The least you could do is have old people dying in the streets because everyone knows universal health care is a horrible nightmare. You're making us look bad.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    14. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by PopeRatzo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Soon America (Mystery Babylon, Mother of Harlots and the Abominations of the Earth) will get her just rewards. America will be destroyed in 1 hour for her transgressions.

      Save your energy. Ronald Reagan did the job for you back in the '80s.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    15. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by Entropius · · Score: 2

      In the US legal system, and presumably in the Canadian one too, a person judged not guilty by reason of mental defect is usually confined during the course of treatment.

      If you're nuts and kill someone, you don't go to prison, but you aren't leaving the place with the friendly folks in white coats with the Haldol, either.

    16. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by erroneus · · Score: 2

      Imagine that? Canada being "on notice" because they have a sense of due process? In the US, the collapse of due process is a growing tragedy. "The War on Drugs" resulted in the seizure of cash and assets without due process written into law. The "War on Terror" resulted in "The Patriot Act" which destroyed due process and openness in ways previously spoke of only in nightmares and fairy tails about "evil communist nations and dictatorships." "The War on Piracy" has so far destroyed due process with the DMCA and continues to push for more.

      To enable a private entity to act as police or law enforcement is simply inappropriate.

    17. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by FriendlyLurker · · Score: 2

      Spain is an interesting case because we can read about what goes on in the backroom thanks to the WIkileaks cables. We see how the US embassy to Spain ran around at the bidding IIPA subverting the democratic process (things like stifling public debate and "advising" elected officials not to discuss the new laws with their constituents) all the way to ram through more stringent copyright measures than even the US has. http://iberosphere.com/2010/12/spains-anti-p2p-%E2%80%9Csinde-law%E2%80%9D-her-masters-voice/1840

    18. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by aqui · · Score: 3, Informative

      If it hasn't already been mentioned an interesting source of discussion on the Canadian Copyright can be found on Michael Geist's blog:

      http://www.michaelgeist.ca/

      He's a copyright legal expert and professor that has been vocal (he also writes a column for the Toronto Star) about copyright and striking a balance between users and content producers.

      I go to his site from time to time to get a laugh about how the record companies etc... are trying to misinform Canadians...

      --
      ----- "Profanity is the one language that all programmers understand."
    19. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by cormandy · · Score: 2

      What is this "CD" that you talk about???

    20. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by cHALiTO · · Score: 2

      The problems explained by hjf exist since WAY before this government and WAY before any government had any problems with Clarin. I'd like to be able to buy original games for my xbox (imported of course, as it's not officially sold by MS here) but they cost a ton of money, because we need to buy them imported too.
      So, the thing goes like this:

      - We don't buy original games because they're prohibitively expensive, because they have to be imported, not being any publishers pressing dvds here.
      - Publishers won't press dvds here because they think we're not an interesting market for them, and because there's rampant piracy.

      So it's the chicken and egg thing. And honestly, I don't see why it should be for us to start buying originals at huge prices, just to show these companies that they can sell stuff here, so we, maybe, someday, can get reasonably priced originals and services. After all, it's them whining and the ones who supposedly want to make money by selling stuff here, right?
      So they can do the first step. In the meantime, i'll just keep my copies, thankyouverymuch.
      The only thing they'll achieve if they only focus on erradicating piracy without addressing the above issues is getting guys like me to simply not buy any games anymore.

      --
      "Luck is my middle name," said Rincewind, indistinctly. "Mind you, my first name is Bad." -- Terry Pratchett
    21. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by Mikkeles · · Score: 2

      Note that the Canadian DMCA equivalent was first proposed by the Liberals (Bill C-60); it only failed due to the fall of the (minority) government.

      So, assuming that politicians are people of principle (ha ha), the Grits would support the Tories in this.

      --
      Great minds think alike; fools seldom differ.
    22. Re:speaking as a Canadian to the USTR by snowraver1 · · Score: 2

      Oh I'd complain for sure.... But the other guy isn't going to jail over it.

      --
      Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. This comment may not be copied in any way including, but not limited to caching.
  3. What do you guys have against Thailand? by mooingyak · · Score: 2

    The summary lists 12 of the 13, for those who don't want to RTFA, #13 is Thailand.

    --
    William of Ockham had no beard. The most likely explanation is that it was chewed off by squirrels every morning.
  4. Where's the Homeland Cred by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    According to the BSA, the "dollar losses" right here in the U.S. are highest overall. Why didn't we make it on to our own list?

  5. HAHAHAHAHAHA by Hojima · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I remember watching a show on knock-off goods sold in China. Some spokesman for Gucci was talking about how they recently made a bust on counterfeit goods and how they potentially earned the company hundreds of thousands of dollars. I couldn't help but laugh at how out-of-touch this dumb-ass was. Does he think honestly think that the country's peasants (who make a big deal out of eating steak with their rice) would save up to buy an authentic Gucci handbag? Similarly, how fucking stupid do you have to be to think that you can stop them from saving money on software. Because that's how they look at it. There are two alternatives in their eyes: free pirated software, and free non-pirated software. No one is going to give two shits about Microsoft's poor employees.

  6. Basically by pizzach · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The US is pointing out countries that are most likely consume English content and don't 100% accept US international copyright laws. Mind how I prefixed international copyright laws with US because they are US laws forced on other countries.

    --
    Once you start despising the jerks, you become one.
    1. Re:Basically by starfishsystems · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Well said!

      For a country founded on the concept of "no taxation without representation", the US shows remarkably consistent disregard for the laws of other nations, even when it comes to the basic matter of sovereign self governance. What certain US lobbyists in their wilful ignorance call "copyright piracy" may well be what our laws have been careful to designate as "fair use".

      For example, in Canada we pay a levy on blank media. The recording industry insisted on this as compensation for the possibility that such media might be used, not to make original art or to perform filesystem backups, but to record copyrighted material. The government agreed, and consumers paid. Offer, acceptance, exchange of consideration. In this country, that's called a contract. And it's binding. Government and consumers have kept their part of the bargain. Now the industry can keep its.

      And if the US counterpart of that industry isn't happy about this state of affairs, well boo fucking hoo. Its shortsightedness and greed is not our problem to solve.

      --
      Parity: What to do when the weekend comes.
  7. And... by kyrio · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Not a single fuck was given.

  8. Where does the US fall... by Macdude · · Score: 2

    ... on their own list?

    --
    "Grab them by the pussy" -- President of the United States of America
  9. Re:What about America? by c0lo · · Score: 2

    Hmmm... I'll try to use US based proxies next time, instead of Canadian ones.

    --
    Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
  10. National Pride by mdielmann · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm personally proud to see that my country is on the copyright watch list of a country with one of the most broken copyright laws in the world.

    --
    Sure I'm paranoid, but am I paranoid enough?
  11. But as a Ccanadian by future+assassin · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I pay a levy to the artists for the privilege of music piracy. Whether the artists get the money after wards, not my problem. Thank you, come again.

      If you want to help stop piracy only download CC licensed music from site like http://www.ektoplazm.com/

    --
    by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
  12. How's the US doing? by b4dc0d3r · · Score: 2

    I downloaded enough stuff to put us over the top. Do I need to step it up?

  13. Re:Trust by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    well you see the thing is it soaks right through a paper bag

  14. Re:Pirate countries by techno_dan · · Score: 2

    Did you ever think that in the US, many are overpaid? What happened with bettering oneself, instead of relying on unions to prop up salaries? At the rate things are going, the US is going to price themselves out of all exports. Who ever heard of paying bus drivers more than developers? Well in the US, this is normal. Here is another thought, did you ever wonder what would happen if China called in its loans to the US? And more jobs in the US? Har, that's a joke. who could afford anything made in the US? Not even your average citizen could afford that. Educate yourself.

  15. Good luck with Argentina by Isaac+Remuant · · Score: 3, Informative

    The perpetual financial crisis in this country along with the lack of moral condemnation makes it a haven of piracy. I'd say that 90 % of desktop computers have ilegal windows and those include many medium-sized companies and goverment instituitons. Those that pay liscenses basically do it in response to fines from possible inspections (or use Linux).

    The 300-plus-page report provides several pages of analysis for each country. As an example, it cites Argentina as having seen 965 percent growth in Internet usage over the last 10 years, with 26 million users (64 percent of the population) now online. Of the entire digital music market in Argentina, piracy represents a staggering 99 percent, with more than 1.25 billion songs downloaded illegally every year.

    There's a 4 to 1 relation between the US dollar and the Argentinian Peso and the average citizen earns much less than first world countries. The cost of life is permanently increasing.

    Taringa.net -- hosted in Argentina; Alexa rank of 116; 7,155 sites linking in, with its biggest audience from Mexico.

    This is the best example. It's the iconic webpage in Argentina for a lot of things and one of those things is file sharing. Everyone who needs certain software knows that the fastest way of getting access to it will probably be to search on that site. People compete for points in a very well thought social system (it includes games and more). Normal people get sucked into this "reputation" thing and become average posters.

    Taringa, in essence, doesn't do anything ilegal because it only has links to hosting sites.

    From the PDF

    Rampant piracy in Argentina remains a very low priority for the government and
    many of its enforcement authorities

    In a country of political turmoil and widespread corruption online piracy is not an issue. Specially when Argentina doesn't have many affected companies or services.

    Regarding the priority actions. Their goals are unrealistic. Many people are hungry and below the line of poverty. If the US wants to provide aid for the goverment, humanitarian needs are closer to what the goverment might look at.

    If they think that pressuring Argentina with bonuses or threats is going to affect this particular line of goverment, they are blatantly wrong. Relations with the US over economy matters are not good after many years of struggles with the International Monetary Fund.

    Tl,DR: Argentinians, used to pay overpriced goods with their low wages don't see any moral problem getting things they'd probably wouldn't be able to have if they didn't resort to piracy and, besides, everyone else does it.

    Arg Gov won't budge in an election year to the likes of USA when there has been no evidence in the past years that this was beneficial (ie: IMF regulations)

    forgive the typos and related grammatical horrors. It's late.

    --
    "Science can amuse and fascinate us all, but it is engineering that changes the world. " - Asimov.
  16. The list is malformed by DoofusOfDeath · · Score: 4, Insightful

    An accurate list of piracy must consider theft from the public domain, and robbing future generations of freedom to use their cultural heritage as they see fit.

    The USA is #1 on that list.

    To get off that list, the US should extradite all MPAA and RIAA to the Hague, as well as those U.S. Congressmen and Presidents who bought by copyright extremists.

  17. Re:What about America? by PopeRatzo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why isn't the US on this list?

    Come on, lads, we're not trying hard enough!

    USA! USA!

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  18. Human Trafficking by Oxford_Comma_Lover · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I ignore the US on these and many world issues, because they only complain when Oil or money is involved, and only pass laws that increase profit for the few.

    Not true; those issues--and complaining, for that matter--just get more press. We put out a watch list for human trafficking, too, as part of the annual Trafficking in Persons Report. (Google it, or look at River of Innocents for a good primer on the issue).

    The US does care about money and oil, of course--money and oil pay for everything and make everything work, and we want things to work and influential donors care about those things, so so does the government. But those aren't the only things we care about. The Global Health Initiatives, for example, have tremendously increased the quality of life for hundreds of millions of people, yet they rarely make it into the news. For some reason it's not as sexy to prevent Malaria as it is to do another story on Charlie Sheen.

    --
    -- IANAL, this isn't legal advice, and definitely isn't legal advice for you. Also, Squee!
  19. Original author a IIRPA mouthpiece by SuperDuck · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If the author of TFA had bothered to do any of his own independent research, he would have found that ISOhunt is *NOT* a cyberlocker, but a specialized search engine. Torrents != file storage.

    The only reason us Canadians made the list is because of the previously mentioned reasons of our lack of DMCA-style legislation, and our "copyright" levy on digital media, which allows us far more fair-use of our purchased digital wares than the country that purports to allow fair use.

    The U.S. can "Special 301" us all they want, but with our current government (what with Minister Tony Clement siding with consumers on denying Usage-Based Billing for wholesale accounts, and examining the larger UBB issue for consumer accounts), and the many public hearings on our "DMCA" legislation, I don't think the US FTR is going to hold much sway over our internal priorities.

    Professor Michael Geist and Openmedia.CA FTW! :-)

    --

    "Kinky sex involves the use of duck feathers. Perverted sex involves the whole duck." - Lewis Grizzard
  20. Re:Australia? by TapeCutter · · Score: 3, Informative

    Drugs are covered by patents and at the end of the day were excluded from the FTA precisely because any Aussie government that dismantled the PBS to please the US would be out on it's ear come election time. To the non-Aussies who don't know what the PBS is; it's a government scheme that ensures nobody pays more than (IIRC) $1200 a year for prescription medicine, it's been in effect since the 1950's and promotes the use of generics over brand name drugs.

    --
    And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
  21. Why Canada Is On The List by HannethCom · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The USTR has stated time and again why we are on this list. It comes down to the business laws of Canada. When you pay for something, you get something in return. That thing in return is either a product, a license, or in some very controlled circumstances a limited license which is what renting falls under.

    Under Canadian law when you buy a product, you can do anything you want with it and cannot be restricted by the creator except to void the warranty, though there are some restrictions there as well. If you sell a license to something, then you can put restrictions on how that license can be used, to an extent. When you give something, you have to get something in return. This giving and getting does not have to involve currency.

    The CMPDA and CRIA had movies and music classified as licenses instead of as a product. This allowed them to restricts you from public showings or broadcast of their media. You do not own the media, you own a license to that performance. It doesn't matter how you got that performance, thus why downloading content isn't illegal in Canada. It is only illegal if you watch, or listen to something you don't have a license for. If you download something you don't have a license for and use it, that is illegal.

    This does not fit the US laws very well, as right now if you "buy" a DVD in stores in the US, you do not own the media, or have the right to view what you just bought. You have paid for nothing. There is only the possibility that the MPAA will allow you to watch that video. They have no obligation to allow you to watch what you paid for, they can actually say, no, we will not allow you to watch that and it is then illegal for you to watch it, and they don't have to reimburse you.

    That is illegal in Canada and always will be as giving and receiving are part of the fundamental laws in Canada that all business law is predicated on. Furthermore, our founders made it unconstitutional for any future government to try to change this and any law passed should be tossed out by the courts.

    Basically the US has a problem with our laws that require getting something when you give something.

    Ever wondered why when you "win" a contest you have to answer a stupidly easy skill testing question in Canada? It is because that skill testing questing counts as a form of work that you are giving, to receive what ever the prize is.

    --
    Microsoft, Apple, Google, Amazon what's the difference? All steal money from devs and control with walled gardens.
  22. Not Accurate RE SKTQ by brunes69 · · Score: 2

    Not going to bother to look up your other claims... but your final one about the STQ is certianly wrong.

    The reason the STQ is required under the criminal code has nothing to do with making the winner of a prize "do work". It is so that companies can turn contests a game of skill.

    Games of skill and games of chance are treated differently under the criminal code, with games of chance falling under provincial gaming regulations, games of skill or of mixed chance and skill are not.

    It has nothing to do with exchange of work for services.

  23. Re:Trust by smurfsurf · · Score: 2

    You mean that cardbord that has a plastic bag laminated inside?

  24. Re:The frozen north.... by grub · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Because our current laws and privacy regulations don't allow the MPAA and RIAA to send their jackbooted hire-a-thugs across the border to bother us.

    The US lawmakers and lobbyists (one in the same, really) are trying to force their shit down our throat.

    --
    Trolling is a art,
  25. Re:oh no by betterunixthanunix · · Score: 2

    Is the war on drugs over?

    Of course not, there was never any plan for it to be over.

    Will there be a "war on piracy", the copyright kind?

    You bet! After all, in the USA, everyone seems to be brainwashed into thinking that copyright represents some sort of natural right.

    --
    Palm trees and 8