Slashdot Mirror
Canada Launches ACTA Bill
TrueSatan writes "In an utterly craven move, the Canadian government has launched a bill to bring Canada into full compliance with the discredited, U.S.-led ACTA agreement — an agreement to which most of the world does not agree. To further pressure the acceptance of this awful bill, the U.S., on the same day, released their Trade Policy and Agenda Annual Report (PDF), which calls on Canada to comply with ACTA obligations. For ACTA to take effect, it would require six signatures from the major economic blocks. Tt appears to have no remaining possibility of getting them, yet the U.S., and now Canada, continue to push it forward. The Canadian bill features claims based on spurious health and safety concerns that have been thoroughly debunked by a U.S. report. Despite these claims being so dubious, they remain a cornerstone of the Canadian bill. Similarly, the claimed losses due to counterfeiting ($30 billion USD) stated in the bill have also been debunked. The Canadian bill seeks to give border guards an unprecedented level of control, without the possibility of judicial oversight. Despite a lack of evidence to suggest that Canada is a major source of counterfeit product, the bill puts at risk the fully-legal parallel import of generic items — pharmaceuticals, for instance. The bill would also change copyright infringement from a civil dispute to a breach of criminal law. Pity Canada if this bill is enacted!"
Could the editors please present a less objective article because I'm not sure if I understand how I'm supposed to feel about the issue.
Thank you.
Soma Soma Soma
From my understanding of TFA, it's not official legislation yet. Honestly, I don't see this going through, so calm down, title!
matches the situation in the States where Obama rules by executive order. should expect that Canada would lock step with the States on just about anything.
any suggestions on countries where the governments still represent the citizens rather than laying covert plans to oppress and destroy them?
They're just being polite, eh.
If you're not familiar with the bill or with ACTA, have another look at that summary. Every other word is loaded - craven, pressure, aweful, spurious, etc.
Therefore, don't forget the it's OBVIOUSLY so ridiculously slanted as to be completely and utterly useless in understanding what it's about. It's so clear that the author is not just biased, but radically, rabidly so. Therefore, te only use for such a article is for the author similarly rabid people to enjoy reading their own thoughts. Mental masturbation, so to speak.
Something like a poorly made power plug charger should already run foul of electronics certification and trade dress requirements.
Adding yet another layer that the knockoff cloners will blatantly ignore and sell dangerous products at low low prices anyway does precisely dick to resolve the problem.
What I am trying politely to say, is that such counterfeit chargers are allready illegal, and making more legislation won't solve the problem. Only tighter enforcement will solve it, and that isn't profitable.
All legislation like this will do is make more laws for flagrant abusers to ignore, and make life harder for honest people for no measurable benefit.
Blame the editor.
You got plenty of oil. It's cold but we will fix that soon enough. Copyright is so much easier than manned wars. For your cooperation, we will let you keep your name.
-owners of the US
It's the Intellectual Property invasion of Canada..
OTTAWA - Following sporadic cross border raids into Canada from the United States, Intellectual Property lobbyists and lawyers, along with cadres of lackeys have fully invaded the Canadian capitol city. Should they succeed most Canadians would be tried for criminal conduct where formerly a minor citation and the firm words "Don't do it again, eh!" would have been uttered. Should ACTA pass into law bystanders expect a further invasion of prison builders.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
It isn't bias if he is right. It may be unprofessional to call bad things bad names, but it doesn't make it biased or wrong, just unprofessional.
Keystone XL passed a notable hurdle today....
There is no whore like an old whore - Brian Mulroney, former Canadian PM and (presumably still) douche bag.
As much as I do not like Harper, he was elected under the rules. Even if we assume the robocall, etc. stuff happened as alleged, it wouldn't necessarily be enough to take away from his majority government.
It's quite common for majority governments to be elected in Canada by a minority of voters, even 40% as in this case.
If Canadians don't care enough to change the current voting system, we deserve what we get.
No amount of whining on slashdot or CBC discussion forums will change this.
I don't know about you, but I don't actually feel like anyone has jerked me off. It is clear how they want me to feel about it, which would be offensive in a newspaper but which I find completely acceptable in a blog. Slashdot is not and never has been a credible news outlet, because it is not a news outlet. It is a blogreggator. Yes, I made that word up to make you hate me.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Anything may be sumitted.
Anything may be voted to the front page.
Anyone seeing a problem with that? Now combine it with downmods of unpopular but relevant opinions.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
This site is turning into a meme instantiation mechanism apart from the normal substrate of human minds.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
... Park never has been more accurate.
It isn't bias if he is right. It may be unprofessional to call bad things bad names, but it doesn't make it biased or wrong, just unprofessional.
This!
Whenever the Canadian Government tries a bill like it, it ends up not going through or delayed enough to the point of the next election, then it's ignored for a while.
....it seems to me that's where this is heading unless the Canadians get some backbone.
Harper announced he was building new prisons a while ago, obviously it was in preparation for him ramming this law up the ass of the Canadian people.
I am so ashamed that my fellow Canadians elected this fascist fuckwad and worse yet gave him a majority government so he could ruin the country as he sees fit. The Entertainment industry has obviously spent its money well on supporting the Conservative party of Canada. Harper seems willing to blow them anytime they ask.
"The first time I got drunk, I got married. The second time I bought a chimpanzee, after that I stayed sober" Arian Seid
We don't see a public outcry against the TPP Agreement's IPR Chapter, we don't see an public outcry against the copyright provisions in CETA, and the defeat of ACTA in Europe was just a by-line. We do seem SOME negative flak for CETA as it relates to the price Seniors have to pay for their meds.
Question: which Canadian MP is a Champion of Internet Freedom and the reigning-in of the Copyright Industry's World-Wide Ratcheting system? Answer: none!
When the copyright term is "forever minus a day", live every day like it's the last.
lol - I heard a stat once, not sure if it's true, however, it was said that Bush Jr. signed more executive orders in last term than all previous administrations combined... I'll have to see if I can verify that.
And wiki comes through...
All administrations from 1800 to 2000: 67
Bush Jr. 2001-2009: 291
Obama: 148
He's got quite a ways to go to catch up.
Well spotted. Because it is obviously the role of the state to enforce obsolete business models. Especially when the ruling party is paid by the people who are dependent upon them. No bias at all there. Nothing to see here. Move along.
"This site is turning into a meme instantiation mechanism apart from the normal substrate of human minds."
We e-leverage our synergies to that effect for stakeholder fulfillment.
.
C|N>K
As much as I do not like Harper, he was elected under the rules. Even if we assume the robocall, etc. stuff happened as alleged, it wouldn't necessarily be enough to take away from his majority government.
11 less seats (166 won, 155 needed) and he would have lost his majority government. He wouldn't "necessarily" have lost it, but there's still a damn good chance he would have.
Make that 12. off-by-one bites me again. But my point still stands.
That will teach those Canadian ministers not to step over a voodoo doll of our president ;-)
That single "incident" really made the scale tip over.
http://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?boardid=40&threadid=35289
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolyn_Parrish
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/cdngovernment/parrish-carolyn.html
Everything I write is lies, read between the lines.
If Canadians don't care enough to change the current voting system, we deserve what we get.
Oh is that all it takes?! So we change the voting system and elect some other party and all of a sudden politicians become honest responsible people, is that it?
Tell me, what obligations do these politicians have to follow through with a single promise they make during their campaign? If I hire a maid to come and clean the house weekly, I don't hire them with a single condition that if they do a poor job I'll fire them in 4 years, why should hire someone to run the country for a minimum of 4 years any way they like?
Tell me, what obligations do any of these elected politicians have to serve the country in its best interest, other than the threat of not being re-elected? If I hire a contractor to renovate my house and he does a crap job I can take him to court and get some of my money back, will these politicians refund their salaries and expenses if the economy goes to crap?
Tell me, what happens if these politicians pass a law that results in a whole bunch of average citizens being fined or arrested, only to have the law declared unconstitutional later on? Do they get any jail time themselves? Do they get to pay any restitution? Or do they just say "our bad" and carry on to their next campaign?
I'm sure a new voting system will solve all these problems... Yeah right, spoken like a real politician! You can only fool some people mate, but not all. This form of democracy we have is out-dated, it was perfect for the 1800s and 1950s, but it's got no place in the age of instant communications, mega-corporations, and stock markets run by computers.
"If he hadn't have won he would have lost."
--DarwinSurvivor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_federal_executive_orders#Consolidated_list_of_Presidents_and_Order_numbers
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
When you start calling things 'awful,' you're making value judgements. When you make value judgements, you are being biased. ACTA isn't awful for everyone; that's what politics is about, different people having different preferences.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
Did you have to stand on your head while reading my post to interpret it that way?
This is Mr. Harper, whose Reform/Alliance/Conservative party supposedly stands for individual liberty over the oppression of the corporations, fairness to Canadians and loyalty to the principles of peace, order and good government.
Their actions are a betrayal of their own members, the legalization of the oppression of citizens by corporations and the subversion of Canadian judicial independence from the U.S.
I'm sure his antediluvian core supporters will think this is a good idea, but I suspect anyone under fifty will find it at least a little suspicious!
This is really rather important: More emphasis! More emphasis!
--dave
davecb@spamcop.net
You do realize that if your argument is "the current guy is averaging a bit better than the previous guy" or "the current guy has the potential to only be half as bad as the previous guy" (I can't tell which one you're aiming for) you don't actually have an argument, right?
No, my argument is that "Obama rules by executive order" is a fallacy - really nothing more than a conservative talking point (why I brought up Bush Jr. as a counter point). While I didn't notice the consolidated numbers initially, thanks to drinkypoo for the correction, 20 presidents have signed more executive than Obama. The average is 350 orders signed. It'd be fair to say Roosevelt, Wilson, and Coolidge ruled by executive order, but not Obama.
It is a blogreggator.
So then the article is "blogreggation"?