Why Canada Does Not Belong On the US Piracy Watchlist

An anonymous reader writes "Each year, the U.S. government places Canada on its piracy watch list, claiming that it is a pirate country similar to China or Russia. This year, Professor Michael Geist and Public Knowledge teamed up to respond to myths about Canadian copyright law with a submission to the USTR focusing on how Canadian law provides adequate and effective protection, how enforcement is stronger than often claimed, why Canada is not a piracy haven, and why Bill C-11 does not harm the interests of rights holders (critics of Bill C-11 digital lock rules will likely think this is self-evident)."

Comments

Simple - Politics

[Anonymous Coward]

(Posting AC because I'm at work)

The reason Canada is on the piracy watch list is simple - Canadian politicians want us to be there so they can have a reason to craft draconian laws that appease big media's wishes. Really, it's that simple - it's political manoeuvring in an effort to get the public to support legislation that is "clearly needed" because, you know, we're on the US's piracy watch list so things must be bad in Canada! We need to fix it. Now just accept these laws that allow warrantless searches and other things that are obscene so I can get my phat payoff cash from Big Media Corp.

Really, it's that simple. And pathetic.

Re:Simple - Politics

[TheSpoom]

This should not be a surprise to anyone in the know. After all, it's coming from the man who wanted to rename the Government of Canada after himself in all official communications.

"L'état, c'est moi" indeed. Just in a bit of a Quebecois accent.

Re:Simple - Politics

[Anonymous Coward]

The ARTISTS have been the only ones saying that piracy DOESNT hurt them. It's the crooked publishers and distributors that are actually hurting the artists.

Did you forget about the scandal where Canadian labels were ACTUALLY PIRATING MATERIAL FROM ARTISTS they didnt have contracts with?

http://www.zeropaid.com/news/93594/canadian-record-labels-settle-royalty-suit-for-50-million/

It happened for YEARS and the case took forever just for the artists to get a FRACTION of what was owed. They were on the hook for ***$6 BILLION*** and they bled the case out long enough to settle for a measly $50 million paid out over a few YEARS. WHAT THE FUCK.

If you take a look around, you'll realize that the tired "sharing music hurts artists" line flat out wrong. The labels are the ones fucking them right out of money....then paying back a FRACTION.

Re:Simple - Politics

[toriver]

Yes, we need an "artist exploitation watchlist", so that Elvis Costello and Motörhead don't have to go out and publically WARN their fans against buying over-priced box sets made to line the pockets of record company executives.

Bill C-11

[bigbangnet]

Theres a bill in Canada about copyright. It's the C-11 bill

http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Docid=5144516&file=4

it was Bill C-61 first, then it died and was replaced by Bill C-32 which also died. Now its called Bill C-11. Have fun reading this.

Theres also a website which gives lots of information on that bill : http://www.digital-copyright.ca/billc11/

but we DO according to Zoe Addington

[denis-The-menace]

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1048993--leaks-show-u-s-swayed-canada-on-copyright-bill?bn=1

A U.S. Embassy cable written in April 2009 describes a meeting between
Zoe Addington, director of policy for then industry minister Clement, and U.S. officials.

In contrast to the messages from other Canadian officials, she said that
if Canada is elevated to the Special 301 Priority Watch List (PWL), it would not hamper
and might even help the (government of Canada's) ability to enact copyright legislation,

the cable says.

Days later, Canada was elevated on the piracy watch list.

NOTE: entire post shamelessly stolen from guidryp

lolwut?

[Quiet_Desperation]

Pfffbbt! Canada! Of course you don't put imaginary lands on watch lists. Canada is an old fairy tell parents tell when they don't want their children to become improv comics or hockey fans.

Re:Conservatives to bring law in line with the U.S

[quacking duck]

It's fine to blame the Liberals (or the most-recent government of a different party) for laws they passed and screwed up and the current government has to fix, but stop blaming the Liberals for legislation that never passed. If the Conservatives thought it was a bad bill, they wouldn't have resurrected it.

And FYI, many Liberal supporters fought against those bills when the Liberals introduced them. Why can't Conservative supporters stop blindly supporting bills and laws just because they're backed by Conservatives? Are they that blind that they MUST unwaveringly follow their leader in all things?

C-30 was backpedaled on not because of massive public outcry, because the Harper Conservatives are used to ignoring that. What they AREN'T used to is a significant number of their base vocally and publicly turning on them. Even Sun News, the far-right news outlet that almost always supports the Conservative agenda, called Toews "an idiot" and said the bill was indefensible ("in its current form").