Tories propose far-reaching changes to Copyright Act

Big changes proposed for Canada's copyright laws could have a huge impact on how Canadians watch movies, listen to music, and use the inernet. Todd van der Heyden and Olivier Charbonneau examine the proposed legislation

Canada AM: Grant Dexter, MapleMusic

The president of MapleMusic says the music industry is excited about new copyright legislation, as it gives copyright owners and creators protection on the internet.

Canada AM: Michael Geist, Univ. of Ottawa

A law professor says one of the big problems with new copyright legislation has to do with digital locks. Changes are due to the law since it hasn't been updated since 1997.

CTV National News: Genevieve Beauchemin reports

The federal government has served notice that it intends to clamp down on illegally copied digital material like movies, music and games. It comes in the form of new federal copyright legislation -- the first such overhaul in Canada in more than a dozen years.

CTV News Channel: Fazila Nurani, PrivaTech

A privacy lawyer and founder of PrivaTech Consulting explains what will be allowed, and what will be illegal under the proposed Tory legislation that will change the Copyright Act.

CTV Edmonton: Scott Roberts on the laws

The government announced it's changing our country's copyright laws. If passed into law, the new legislation could impose hefty fines for dubbing DVDs and video games protected from being copied.

CTV Winnipeg: Jon Hendricks on the changes

The bill includes stiffer penalties for people who break copyright protection.

Power Play: Industry Minister Tony Clement

The federal industry minister says the new legislation is a move to better position Canada as a leader in the digital economy and will knock Canada out of being a so-called haven for copyright violations.

CTV News Channel: David Fewer, tech lawyer

A lawyer who specializes in technology explains why Industry Minister Tony Clement will introduce a bill to upgrade the Copyright Act that will reportedly make it a crime to pick a 'digital lock' attached to a piece of music, film, electronic game or other product.

Watch: See all Videos in the Player

A A | Email This Email | Print | Comments (87) Tweet

Minister of Industry Tony Clement speaks to reporters at a news conference in Montreal following the introduction of a bill modernizing the copyright act of Canada, Wednesday, June 02, 2010. (Graham Hughes / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

View Larger Image

Selected Comment

Who are they targeting with this bill: the 14-year old-downloader, or the local CD/DVD pirate burning shop set up by local gangsters?

Mead

Tories propose far-reaching changes to Copyright Act

talking about
Tories propose far-reaching changes to Copyright Act

Got something to say?

CTV.ca News Staff

Date: Wed. Jun. 2 2010 8:46 PM ET

The Tories have introduced long-awaited, contentious changes to the Copyright Act that would make individuals liable for up to $5,000 for illegally making copies of DVD movies or digital music.

The legislation was introduced in Parliament on Wednesday, while Industry Minister Tony Clement spoke about the changes it proposes during a news conference at the office of a video-game company in Montreal.

"We see this as a real balance between the legitimate interests of the consumer and the legitimate interests of the creator," Clement said. "We want creators to feel welcome in Canada."

If passed into law, the new rules would enhance legal protection for companies who produce copyright-protected material such as music, software and movies.

They would also make commercial and personal users into two separate legal categories. Currently, individuals and businesses that breach the Copyright Act are both liable to fines of up to $1 million.

Under the proposed changes, removing a technological lock in order to transfer legally acquired copyright material, such as CDs or DVDs, onto multiple digital devices would become a violation.

But on CTV's Power Play later Wednesday, Clement said the reforms are designed to target large-scale violators of copyright law, rather than individuals who may download an occasional song.

Penalties for copyright infringements would be commensurate with the damage done to the proprietor of the intellectual property, he said.

"We are working with the copyright holders and the creators and the artists to go after the big guys and gals," Clement said. "The ones that are putting millions of movies or millions of songs online, destroying the value completely by doing so -- that's where we want to target."

The Conservatives say that providing legal protections for material protected by digital locks would benefit video-game companies in particular, which employ some 15,000 people across the country.

"Canadian companies will benefit," said Heritage Minister James Moore, who accompanied Clement at the Montreal news conference. "It is essential to protect these jobs and this creativity ... to make sure Canada remains a centre of creativity."

David Fewer, a copyright and technology lawyer, said the digital-lock measure was long expected.

"There are international treaties that Canada has signed but has not implemented yet, that require us to craft some sort of legal protection for the digital locks that protect content," he told CTV News Channel Wednesday.

Fewer said there are legitimate reasons for consumers wanting to pick digital locks.

"(Consumers) want to use content they've purchased in ways they want to use it and digital locks won't always let them do that," Fewer said.

The Tories say the copyright reforms are designed to bring Canadian law in line with international standards and to address the concerns of the entertainment industry.

They tried to introduce similar changes to the Copyright Act two years ago but backed down after a massive online campaign opposed the measures.

"We've been trying as a Parliament to get copyright legislation through since 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' was in the Top 10," Clement acknowledged. "So this has been taking a while."

Clement said earlier that he did not expect the bill would please everyone.

"Any bill worth its salt in this is going to have elements that strive to balance those interests, and not everybody's going to like where the balance is going to be struck," Clement told The Canadian Press.

With files from The Canadian Press

Comments are now closed for this story

LDL in ONT
said

Maybe I'm just to old to understand all these tecnological acryonms. Here is what I do understand. I turn on the radio, computer or cable tv and enjoy any number of specialized or general music programming......absolutely free (save internet and cable charges). when I want listen to my favourite artists I go buy their CD and listen to it. When I want to load up my ipod I sample and buy some music from itunes. All very simple stuff, but then again, I guess I'm just simple too. Some folks a getting a little bent out of shape with rules that interfere with what they think is their unfetered right to do what they want, when they want, how they want. Oh, and sometimes I turn off the radio, computer and the tv........and just enjoy the silence.

jpf30
said

I supposed along with these changes they'll remove the levy against blank CD's and other recordeable media... hmm? not likely

Ron
said

This is NOT a good thing, this will hurt regular people and the internet in general! Another Tory flop, at least the liberals backtracked this stupid suggestion when they were in....We do not want, or need "American" laws in our country. Other people need to stop saying "international standard", it is not at all, it is the American standard only and no other that is being forced on the people of the world.This is simply a way for companies, governments, and large corporations to have more control over you and me, and a stronger monopoly on the products involved. Not good for any of us.Research this people, starving artists is a falsehood promoted by big name label holders, new artists love sharing on the internet....it only makes them bigger after all! See what artists like "the barenaked ladies" and many others say about this crap.....by some of these posts here I'd say you guys are buying into anything big labels tell you....I own a veteran IT company, we have watched this for years, and from someone who knows because my job depends on it, I would say nothing is more filled with BS then these laws and those pushing for them. The world has changed, and they simply don't want to accept that. Don't let this happen, you are saving no one, and hurting us all....except some fat cats that want to stay that way...good and FAT.

eastmtler
said

what?
Ok - illegally copying and selling for profit : bad. totally agree this needs to be controlled.

Buying a CD and copying it on my pc, mp3 player... for my enjoyment in various locations should not be illegal. I bought and paid for the darn thing - I should be able to arrange to listen to the piece in my car, on my mp3... etc... This law sounds suspiciously as if it will "prevent" me from doing that. (not). I am not paying for the same cd 2x.

Mike in NB
said

Hey Shane,What is a rec-ord store? Get with the times! Please read my comment at Rob. BTW there is no reason to be rude, its only rock-n-roll (but I like it).... If you are so passionate about the product, why not pay the 99 cents for it? Just a question, please do not be defensive. I truly understand your passion on the issue and respect that. For me though,I know I am not young but I am a large consumer of music and I think my voice should not be ignored just because of age discrimination at the hands of some younger folks. I think its really hard to argue that anyone is OWED something that somebody else made. The original purchaser is entitled to what they originally purchased, IMHO.

alan smithee
said

Isn't it ironic that when the Reform Party makes an announcement,it's always in Montreal where they can't buy a vote?
Instead of paying attention to policies or opinions in Canada,we should all just read and view American news feeds because this regime in Ottawa does NOTHING that the United States doesn't do.
Welcome to the 51st state.

Joe
said

This government is unbelievable! They�d much rather nail Canadians with burning DVD�s than prosecute foreign multinational companies that abuse the Canadian worker.Where the hell is this country going?

mike in NB
said

Hey Rob,I havent bought a CD in years. I buy my music on itunes. I love it! Pay only for the song you want. Excellent quality, easy to use, lots of information for consumers to use. I take my Ipod when I'm in the car and the Ford sync plays it through the car speakers effortlessly. It seems a lot of people should catch up with the times... I mean CD's, really?I can see how it would be frustrating for people to be told after the fact, that something they have been doing for years is now illegal. I may feel insulted as well. However, when you spend months or years making something to earn a living and find out later that people love it, but will not pay you for it you may see a little of the argument from the other side. Just a little of the argument, maybe? If another artist wants to make music and give it away, then it is either worthless, or they feel they will be able to earn more income (by giving it away) then from charging for it. Just an opinion from an ol guy in NB who thinks we should pay for things or do without... just an opinion of mine, not a judgement on others.

Jaded
said

This is crap. We already pay levvy's on all blank media (cd/dvd etc) purchased...that covers some royalties b/c it's OBVIOUS what most of it will be used for.So what about MP3 players...eh? How they gonna monitor that... take my mp3 player, come into my home and be certain I have EVERY cd to each song I have on there? What if I got a song from a friends CD?It's crap. Good luck...won't happen...too much red tape. It will ONLY become illegal if you're pirating it... (copying and reselling for money)

Dan P.
said

My grandmother's a criminal now?

Number Kruncher
said

Graeme: Even if the gLiberals took up this issue and ran with it, could you believe them? Of course not, they are the official liar party. Also, Big Biz has deep pockets and these media giants will buy the votes of which ever party is in power. Be sure, even in a minority gov't, there'll be enough gLiberal votes bought to get this legislation thru this time around.
All you can do is write, call or email your MP and let them know your vote in the next "Gravy Train" election is conditional on how they vote on this issue. Still might not scare them to break ranks with their party line, but if you say nothing, you can be sure this piece of crap legislation will go thru. I've already voiced my opinion on this to my MP. I'd urge everyone concerned about this issue to do the same.

Logan
said

I am a long-time Conservative supporter, but this just killed all interest in that party. They talked of putting Canadians first for so long, and then suddenly, today, they do a complete 180 degree turn and put the minds of the American Movie and Music Industry in front of their faces before us. It's pathetic, and I the Conservatives have lost my vote.

Matt
said

Back in the late 90s I bought the Star Wars trilogy at full price, under the false impression that it was "one last chance to own", 3 months later the special edition was released, full price, so I sold the one I bought before and bought the special edition. 7 years later, the trilogy was released on dvd for full price. 3 years after that, the trilogy is re-released on dvd. So who are the real crooks here?Whenever I buy a new dvd, the first thing I do is make a copy of it, so that I can use the copy and preserve the original. When there's young children around, dvds get scratched very easily and become unreadable.

MARG MM
said

Did some of you actually even read the article?This law is meant to go after the "big guys & girls" that download millions of songs & movies, most likely to sell. It also says that they are after the large scale violators, not individuals that download a few songs for their own use. It only takes one or two to blow everything out of proportion, and the sheep merrily follow along. It looks like most of us have nothing to worry about, unless you are making a living at it.

chucky c
said

Can someone tell me the difference between my sharing a book with friends or sharing my music. If no profit is being made by my sharing of my media, be it written or musical etc, I do not see a crime being committed.

Ryan G.
said

At this point, they might as well allow the Entertainment industry to withdraw from our bank accounts as they please. They've hit a point where their business model is failing, and instead of adapting, they want everyone to adapt around them to suit their needs.

Speaking out against this legislation isn't about protecting theft, it's about protecting fair use. If you don't like fair use, get rid of all of your devices capable of recording anything (cameras, DVRs, VCRs, Video Cameras, etc.) and go enjoy your life.

The gov's idea of balance consists of nothing more than catering to the entertainment industry, and kicking the canadian public in the teeth. Furthermore, they've blanketed every person who opposes the legislation as "Butthurt" about the situation, saying that the bill isn't going to please everybody and to deal with it. Remind me now, in a democratic government, doesn't majority rule? And by that I mean the majority of the population, not the majority of the cash.

Meet the needs of society as a whole, not the tiny amounts of the entertainment industry who want to have an avenue to bilk the population for cash and ransack the court systems with frivolous lawsuits.

SaskGirl
said

These copyright laws are confusing to me. So, I can use a DVR to copy a program from tv. But, I cannot download the same program to my computer, is that correct? And I can buy a cd, but I can't copy it to my computer, or copy a DVD that my child will inevitably scratch to pieces? And we can listen to music on the radio or internet, but I can't download the same songs? Am I the only one that thinks that this is all about control? We are allowed to listen/watch, but only when the entertainment industry says we can? I am a Conservative supporter to the bone, but I do not agree with this.

Backup Guy
said

I agree we should stop crime. But if ripping my DVD or blu-ray that I bought to my iPod/iPad is a crime because I didn't also buy the iPod version. That is CRAZY!This is not a law that stops crime this is a law that stops people who own legitimate copies of music and movies from playing them in any device they like. This is the type of law that will make someone making a MIX TAPE / CD a criminal. And is doing nothing to protect real digital crime. If someone is profiting from stealing someone work then YES you should stop that. But if you own something and you want to move it from one format to another for your own personal use that should be legal.

B. Kelley, Ontario
said

When you realize what the so-called artists receive for their performances and the totally outdated distribution system that the consumers are expected to support, it's no wonder that digital media is outrageously priced and therefore a target for piracy. This bill won't change a thing. High prices for any commodity have always produced a black market. When consumers feel that they are being ripped off they will take the chance and say "screw the man". The production companies need to look at themselves as the real enemy. When they finally start compensating their "stars" realistically and cut out all the middle men in the system and charge realistic prices then piracy will automatically disappear.

TV
said

i can't believe the extent of ignorance the conservative party has in dealing with matters that are threatening our way of life!
From all the problems the public is facing, they show no concern about the drugs being fabricated by organized crime groups targetting our young, the presence on our streets of punk street gangs, many of them not even natural born canadians, but rather landed immigrants whose sole purpose in this country is being part of a criminal organization.What canada needs is to toughen up immigration laws and deportation laws, criminal laws and investigate corruption inside our legal system, but no , the conservative party is more concerned about music and films!!!!the latest episode of street gang violence, in old montreal clearly showed hardened criminals killing people because of copyright infringement, and when are the canadian troops going to be deployed in hollywood to protect the film industry??
Whoever elected this government should check out their track record and act accordingly
a proud canadian with no voice

CraigW
said

Good thing we have our government spending their time and our money to make sure U.S. companies are as profiatable as they can be.

wes
said

Why cant I digitize the Conway Twitty song that I bought on 8 track 35 years ago? Why did I have to go by it on cassett and LP and CDs.I bought that song and it shouldnt matter what media I put it on as long as its for my personal use.The industry keeps coming up with new media and we have to keep purchasing the latest technology.

kimbo
said

now craig from AB has the right idea - it a change in the distribution of music that is needed - almost like a Paypal for music - cut's out the BIG record companies - who needs them? if you listen to them - everyone does ...but really ... no not really - there is a better - faster - cheeper way that works for everyone but the record companies - hummm i wonder who is pushing for the new laws ... anyway - said it before - i'll say it again - the copyright laws are what needs to go - completely talk to the pre-teens and younger teens out there - i don;t even think they know that record stores exist... this conversation is nothing but old farts arguing over nothing that really means anything - it is what it is - and it's not going to stop ...i'll share my 8TB worth of music and movies with whomever i want ...most of it is crap anyway - go download and watch "Steal this movie" Record companies should pay out royalties to artists they've ripped off (knowingly) like allowing rap artists (if you can call them artist) to sample everthing without even giving credit to the original sampled artist. The changes to this Law mean NOTHING - because it's unenforceable.

peter in bc
said

There's also an assumption that whoever is downloading whatever actually would have had the intent to go out and purchase the product. I think that the bulk of material that is downloaded is done out of curiosity rather than need. How many out there have downloaded something for a single rather than a CD? How many out there have downloaded a movie that they would never have paid to see or rented? How many out there have downloaded software our of curiosity rather than need? Problem with new legislation is that there is no way to prove that someone would have bought and decided to "steal" to begin with. If I steal a book, that is because I really want it but don't want to pay for it. With CD's, movies and software, do I want it or do I want to try it out?I think the future of all these markets will change dramatically and terms like "open-source" and "internet artists" will be common place. Again, good luck with changing the rules.......what is this? The NHL????

Joe Canada
said

Let's hope the opposition brings down this vile pig of a government before this turd passes.

bcbrad
said

ok, this is how it works. A song I hear on the radio catches my ear. I head over to my computer, google the artist name, link up to their website or myspace, see a link to cdbaby, I can pay for 1 song or the whole album. Yay! Everybodies been paid and I am legal. I transfer it to my 3 computers in my house and my work pc and my mp3 player. I may just burn it so I can listen to it in my car. So, am I sill legal?I can stream almost any tv program free in line, thanks CTV! And movies are easily accessable, however I urge the industry to find a way for me to buy it or rent it legally in digital format. I refuse to get into a cycle of purchasing unique hardware to use unique file formats. if this scenario comes to pass I am certain it is only a matter of time for emulators to become rampant on the net. ie, I can play any old Nintendo or sega games on a PC.Welcome to the digital age.

Anonymous from BC
said

Don't you think it's a bit late to fight piracy now? Give up. Pirating is always going to happen. People will find some way to pirate their music.

hupur
said

what a bunc h of crap...its time the goverment left us the f..k alone!if the companies are so worried about piracy then let them encode their stuff.The internet is public domain not goverment legeslated bulls..t

Denis Lemire
said

Eliminating the fair use rights such as duplicating a disc for backup purposes (as I regularly do to keep my two year old from destroying the purchased copies of her various children's shows) or ripping and re-encoding the content for use in various portable devices is completely ridiculous.

There is nothing about these proposals that are balanced. This is another dirtbag move by content producers to charge us again for damaged content and content that we want to view using devices they were too shortsighted to notice.

As per usual, this only punishes their legitimate paying customers and will do absolutely nothing to deter those who will continue to infringe.

It's sad and disturbing that the combined intelligence of everyone involved in this nonsense is insufficient to realize the bigger picture here.

anarchy2010
said

ok , so all the murders , rapists , etc. will now be able to get away with their crimes because the police services across our country are now concentrating on hunting down and charging everyone who has ever copied movies , songs or whatever . welcome to comunist canada

rmd
said

It is hilarious that they introduce this bill at EA of all places, notorious for draconian DRM in the PC Gamer world. Lose your internet connection while playing some of there games and what happens? No saves, game shuts down until your connection is restored despite the consumer having forked over 50 or more dollars to purchase.Any consumer, and I hope things don't side along party lines, should be upset by this bill, it is not good for us at all, contains absurd methods for companies to control content that has been already been purchased by the consumer and how they use that content and under what circumstances. This bill needs to go.

J Jackson
said

The big businesses always believe in free market. They hate it when governments regulate them, and yet they go running to the government when they want protection. The problem with this law is that companies are not giving consumers the OPTION to buy the same product without DRM. The DRM version would be cheaper than the non-DRM version. The money towards those would go to the artists.But let's get real. It's not about paying the artists. If they've been around a long time, they might have negotiated residuals for CD sales, but the new ones who are raking in the millions in sales and running up the charts take a lump sum up front. This legislation is aimed at lining the pockets of lawyers and the RIAA and the big companies.

Carey
said

Wouldn't their energies be best served clamping down on corruption within the government? You know, millions of dollars that go missing every year? Instead they want to go after the little guy, who's already paying a tax for the privilege of backing up poorly made DVDs and CDs.

Greggy B
said

I didn't realize the government were shills for the music industry.

NS
said

I guess I won't buy the new Iphone, and stick to my 5 yo cellphone instead..this is good for Canadian business...NOT!

Rob
said

WHAT IS THE GOVERMENT THINKING? THIS WiLL COST IN AN ELECTION< >BIG TIME! A lot of conservatives are shaking there heads at this, so close to the Holy Grail of a majority, and then this! Stevie, toss this one aside, or we will remain a miniority for some time to come.

ARM
said

It seems to me that any reasonable copyright law would allow a consumer to copy a DVD for their own personal use (eg. onto iPOD, media center, second computer, etc). We have access to many media tools now, and shouldn't have to have a separate license for each one. Last time I checked, when I buy a book, I am free to read (access the content of) that book in any room in my house, even in my car or at work. Imagine if publishers could mandate that you only read this book in the bedroom or bathroom but nowhere else. It seems to me, honest consumers with multiple media options are being penalized because their digital copies COULD be distributed illegally. If this notion has legal standing, how can we, in good conscience, sell sick people narcotics since they COULD be distributed illegally.

Darren
said

You know what??? I just thought of something. If I buy music it's mine. I should be able to play it on my ipod, on my blackberry, on my computer, and now the wonderful Conservative's with Steven Harper at the reigns has decided to come in to your home and tell you what you can do and not to. SAD SAD SAD day in Canada my friends. We have a Conservative Government who is actually putting through Democrat ideologies.

dletal
said

inch by inch this extremist government we have are tearing away at our constitutional rights. And we have 3 opposition parties that cannot get their act together to take down this evil government. First it's freedom of expression, then it's freedom of privacy. Now guess what??? you cant download a copy of your CD to your i-pod to go jogging, you need to buy 2 copies, one for the computer and one for the I-POD. I thought the conservatives were into less governmental control in the state of the country and here they are setting up controls on every single little thing that comes out. Yes I agree that people in jail should not collect benefits, but it also opens up the door to say, oh you made too much money you don't need CPP, then I want the money I paid into it back with interest. This government and it's members are freaks and all crooks.

Paul
said

Liberals and their gun registry.......Conservatives and their Copyright Act. Anyone know where I am going with this?

Copyright Supporter
said

Most of the posters here are missing the point of copyright law. If an organization or individual creates works, be it a book, a video game, a piece of music, an application or some intellectual property, they own those rights. Just because you purchase a copy of any of the above, does not mean you own that piece of work. You only have 'license' to use that work in a defined manner - one that is spelled out by the individual or entity that owns that piece of work. You don't 'own' the CD or DVD or game - you only have license to use it on the media you purchased it on. Just because you want to do whatever your heart desires with it, does not mean you can. Tens of thousands of people 's jobs depend on individuals respecting copyright. Individuals and organizations have spent huge amounts of time and money developing various works. The X, Y and Millennial Generations feel that they're entitled to get everything for free, or almost free. Economies don't work that way. So unless you're all personally willing to work for free, then those corporations that create copyrighted works, have the right to expect that people are not going to steal their products. There is no grey area here - it's either stealing or not.

mathieu warren
said

Stephen harper has lost my vote

Craig from AB
said

You know, this makes me laugh. Here I am at 48. I bought hundreds of LP records. Then I bought hundreds of cassettes (oh and by the way I guess I am a criminal because I recorded my LP's onto cassettes). Gee, remember when they were going to tax blank cassettes too?Now's i copied my close to 1000 CD's to my iTunes collection. Many of which were copies of the LP's and cassettes that I originally owned. Sure I've bought music from iTunes. And heavens yes, pillage me at a stock in the main square for downloading some bit torrent copies of albums too that aren't available on iTunes.The only ones laughing at all of this are the lawyers and the union stewards for the record companies lining up to take the money from the artists and the consumers, and now from the taxes collected by the government.I can't wait until they come up with the next format for us to legally purchase our music from, then sell us the whole lot again. Imagine the profits that can be made in fees for the legal and union teams! God knows that the artists don't get much of anything (Loreena McKennitt and Alanis Morissette figured that one out).I'm one that if the artists could cut out all the middlemen and market their music digitally and directly to the public I would be the first in line to purchase their music. The music would cost less, they would make more, and the public would be happier.The bond between musicians and the public has got to go back to exactly that - the musician and the public. Cut the crap out of the middle (like the government, the lawyers, etc.)

Shane
said

ok Mike in NB is out to lunch !!Copyright laws are outdated, and are not even relevant in "real" society. There is a whole generation on our heals that have NEVER spent a dime in a record store, it's here to stay - Artists and corporations are who need to change, their thinking, distribution channels, or just go away completely. (think NIN who practically give their music away for free and still make a hefty profit !!) You cannot put this genie back in the bottle - what we should be doing is embracing sharing of everything digital and coming up with new ways to share even better!

John
said

HAHA Do they even sell Personal CD players any more. So you are saying store like Future shop wont be selling blank cd/DVD anymore ..

Spiltbongwater
said

I never knew that buying a CD, ripping it onto my harddrive and syncing it onto my MP3 was copyright infringement. I bought the CD, I can use it any way I want can I not?

CDB
said

If they "really" need to prevent us from picking digital locks (remember boys and girls, you don't need to pick it, to copy it) then make the fine $1.00 per time.I've had enough of this foolishness. The law will remove consumers rights. Consumers will ignore it, but lets make the penalties commensurate with the crime. ie. minimal.

John
said

Well they can bye back my PVR then...Oh and my I pod.......

Alex (Toronto)
said

Yo ho yo ho, a pirate's life for me.As a creative person, I am happy to pay a fair market price for books, CDs, DVDs, BDs, software, and other content. Traditionally (and under the Sale of Goods Act), goods sold should be usable for the purpose for which they are sold. DRM interferes with the purchaser's right to use what they have bought. Simply put, it sometimes doesn't work. More importantly, if I change hardware or intermediate software, the content I've paid for may no longer be usable with the new hardware or software I've purchased. The purpose of copyright legislation is to ensure that creators are paid for their work by people who wish to read, view, or listen to the creative works. That's not what this legislation is about. This is about soaking legitimate purchasers multiple times for the same creative works by creating DRM schemes to make the works unusable. It only protects the privileges of middlemen, not the rights of producers or consumers.Industry's job is to maximize profits. Government's job is to protect the rights of consumers. Government is failing here.

SVCR
said

So if you cannot buy music off the shelf you want because the industry doesn't feel there is not a market any longer for it and you download it you are bad?If you BUY software and burn a back-up copy for personal use you are bad?If you BUY a DVD that should not have been released in Canada and you can't play it so you rip it so you can you are bad? or try and return it and put up with retailer hassles.If you back up your OWN purchased music off CD or do copies of misc mp3 for your car so the bought one doesn't get stolen, you are bad?I think Clements should just mind his own business and let us have some pleasure in life listening to what pleases our ears instead of shoved into them by poorly recorded releases from the industry at high costs.So back to cassette I guess eh????????????

Wayne Flaherty
said

I suppose that this makes criminals of everyone has a recorder that is part of their satalitte recievers

Marie
said

How am I supposed to get the music from my CDs onto my MP3 player? Yes, I still buy CDs.

steve
said

wow in canada dont try to copy a cd for your own use or you could be fined up to 20,000 dollars. But if your a gangbanger and drive a vehicle into a police officer in this country there no protection. I say to you harper and your goverment you can shove this law up your ass, i can only hope your kicked out of power one day you loser.

B Merry
said

To the idiots who think this is somehow going to stop us. And gladly flaunt this in your faces. It's not. We're just going to go on our merry way. The only people it will punish is a bunch of your kids who get caught. It's laughable. I dare any form of legislation or gov't to try and stop what WE created. Idiots.

Christopher in Montreal
said

This bill purports to grant us additional fair dealing rights to consumers, but then it says that a digital lock trumps those rights! So all the content industry would have to do is make digital locks on all content standard procedure, and suddenly all your rights are null and void! This is absurd. Fair dealing should always trump digital locks! Period!

brenda
said

The DMCA in America allowed the RIAA to sue dogs, grandma's, kids and DEAD people. The lawyers love it, they get richer.And since when did Canada cow tow to American & International laws, let alone letting big Corporations such as the CRIA and the MPAA, and the RIAA ruling over us?Canada used to stand up to these pressures, but lately it seems we're all heading toward the same future, that of a one world global government. God help us all!

Rob
said

@ Mike in NBDo you have an mp3 player? Did you transfer the tracks from a CD you own onto it? Yes? Under the proposed legislation you're a filthy criminal and need to be punished.Presumably you're connected to the internet. What happens if a RIAA/MPAA watchdog accuses you of copyright infringement? Guess what, you're on the hook for $5,000 PER ALLEDGED INFRINGEMENT. A CD you're accused of sharing has ten songs? That will be $50,000 please. Like in America, you will be guilty until you can prove your innocence if they make a mistake.People aren't worried about this legislation because we're all secretly pirates; we're worried because the cons are trying to strip away our rights as consumers to appease a number of American lobbyist groups.

Prof. Pye Chartt
said

The legislative road to fully and properly protecting the rights of artists, developers, creators, and their encompassing corporate entities is bumpy, winding, slippery, and full of potholes. We're getting there, but it isn't a pretty summer ride in the country. One has to wonder why consumers (the folks with the money who ultimately make the business world go 'round) are always forced to ride in the trunk, as if their input isn't valid, worthy, or beneficial.)

CDNinGER
said

Ok, sign me up for the fight against this bill. I bypass DRM regularly for my own personal purposes. The MPAA and RIAA only put DRM on media to make money it has nothing to do with protecting artists.

Colin
said

Call me crazy, but I'm sure this is mostly coming about because the people writing these bills have no idea how to use all of these programs so they're just being grumpy about that. If they can't figure it out, no one can use them!

But in the end, I'm going to wait and see what exactly the bill says before passing judgement. Or how harshly it will be enforced. How many people have recorded a baseball game on the VCR without prior consent from Major League Baseball and gone to jail? I'm suspecting not a lot.

Biarrote
said

You want to amend the law. Fine, but first make sure that you abolish the SURTAX that I have been paying for years for blank copies. The artists have made money on MY BACK for years, since I use the cds for backup of my data on my computer. I haven't downloaded one song, and still I have been penalized, arbitrarily.

Steve
said

This proposed bill is one way for the Conservatives to lose the election.

This bug brother approach will not be popular with Canadians. This will be especially true with young Canadians that the Conservativs need to attract.

The Conservatives have just given Iggy a first class ticket to victory.

NS
said

Does not sound like a popular law....although we need it. Stealing is stealing. Hopefully this will not bite them come election time, a lot of the younger generation would be against this.

Mark from Winnipeg
said

This article concerns me because I was thinking of moving out of the country, probably to Europe and I was wondering what other countries are also following a similar act? I don't want to be caught by suprise.

really!!
said

so I can steal a car, rob a house, burn down my neighbours garage and get a slap on the wrist but if i copy a song i will be charged? anyone else see what is wrong with this picture

Mead
said

Who are they targeting with this bill: the 14-year old-downloader, or the local CD/DVD pirate burning shop set up by local gangsters?

G.S
said

Sounds good to me. Now we can sue the Music industry for billions of dollars to replace the billions of MP3 devices which, after the bill is passed, will be rendered useless....

peter in bc
said

I should point out a couple of things.......First off, in recent years, the movie industry has enjoyed some of the most profitable years ever seen. Research has shown that people flock to the movies when times are financially tough. To complain that so many people are downloading movies and is destroying the industry is bunk. Recessionary times actually dictates their profitability. Citing the movie "Avatar" is a great example of this. Research this one yourselves.....Secondly, the MP3 format was created through and supported by the recording industry. This technology wasn't created by some rogue individual out there whose guided purpose was to destroy the industry itself. Fact is, people download content that they do want BUT they also download content that they wouldn't normally purchase. In the late 90's, the recording industry tried to fill the gap left by suicidal artists with "one hit wonders" hoping to continue selling albums at the record pace set forth in the 90's. What infuriated the consumer was the wasted money on purchasing a CD by a group to find that they $15 you just spent was for a single song while the rest of the CD wasn't even the same genre of the single put on the radio. By its own doing, the recording industry destroyed the confidence in the consumer by releasing "one hit wonders" from artists who normally wouldn't get radio air time. Desperate individuals do desperate things without considering consequences.As for the new legislation, good luck with that. The recording industry once complained to great length that the audio cassette would destroy the industry. Rather than fight it for decades, they embraced it (by releasing albums on audio cassette) and life moved forward. Time to adapt.

I AIN'T NO CROOK
said

Crooks??? Save it for protecting the opium fields there soldier!! Record companies are dead... The only artists I listen to give their music for free and you can donate whatever you want to THEM... Not their masters.

Shawn
said

I too fear that this could be a very bad thing.

I am strongly pro copyright reform, but we need to give power to the people, not these companies.

We don't need a Canadian DMCA. We need a modern outlook on laws related to information transfer.

It's important for all of us to have a very open minded policy piracy, which is a victimless crime that benefits the people.

I pray that in the future we will worry less about depriving the lucky few of currency, and worry more about depriving the masses of information that is relevant to the human condition.

Jake Daynes
said

Mr. Clement needs to admit that this bill will not please ANYBODY save for media fatcats.

CalgarySandy
said

When did we change our constitution to give freedom to corporations but not to individuals? It is sickening the way corporations are treated as if they have the same rights as people; living things. Canadians pay a fortune in fees tacked on to recording devices. I hope they intend on getting rid of that if they hand us over to big business. The government does not even pretend they care about the citizens anymore.

Scott Stelmaschuk
said

I'm surprised Conservatives are even supporting this...Given their ideological beliefs, they should be protecting the right of consumers to fully own and use whatever they buy. The act of buy transfers ownership from the company that produces it, to the individual who buys it.Instead, like all modern day neo-conservatives, we see a government putting forward the protection of business and their rights, rather than individual rights.The fact of the matter is, business need to understand that the times are changing and that consumers have options. Why should I have to re-download an entire album I've bought from a CD store off of iTunes, instead of ripping it to my computer, because of a digital lock? CD's are becoming more and more irrelevant as mp3 players are becoming an easier way to hold and listen to a larger amount of songs; you can even use the device in your car.Unless the music industry wants to find itself on the losing side, they'll realize that consumers want to be able to control how they use the CDs they've bought, either as the physical CD or as digital audio on another device, and they should be accepting that, not finding ways to ensure Canadians have only one option.

Graeme
said

Listen Liberals & Ignatief: this is an issue that you could actually grab and run with (you missed your chance with the HST). You can spin it as the Conservatives & the industry vs everyday Canadians. The detainee issue and Jaffer don't really affect Canadian's everyday lives, here is an issue just waiting for noise. The Digital Millenium Copyright Act in the USA has been horribly abused and makes some ridiculously trivial things illegal (it's moreso the "digital lock" rules that are really problematic because it gives companies a huge blanket to get around any consumer protection aspects of the bill). But I bet the Liberals stay silent and remain in opposition forever ...

Mike in NB
said

I get the impression that some people think that owning "affordable" music, etc. is a right. No, it is not a right. You pay the asking price or dont buy it. If a person cannot afford an item of entertainment then do without. It doesnt give anyone the right to steal something just because they could not afford to buy it (IMHO).Also, if stealing from a store is less of a crime then the penalty for it should be raised!

Damon I
said

Mike, I don't pirate ANYTHING ever (I literally own close to 1500 DVDs) yet I will be a "crook" under this legislation.I took my PURCHASED Baby Einstein DVDs, broke the protection and backed them up to my kids computers so they could watch them without having to damage our expensive DVDs.How this could ever be "illegal" is beyond my comprehension, talk about "fair use".There are MANY examples like the above where completely legitimate uses for purchased media will become illegal.

Acroyear
said

"However, transferring a legally-owned DVD or CD to another device would be legal as long as no lock is picked."Which means the industry will be able to legally force you to by certain brand name players to LEGALLY view the content. All it would take is an agreement between one large publishing house, say Warner Bros, and one large maker of players, say Toshiba, to force you to "buy X, if you want to play Y" And while once we had the power, we consumers have proven to be sheep, and are likely to give in and have three different players to listen to our music or watch our movies. Should have kept it simple. You buy a DVD, CD, whatever digital media, than you should be allowed to make a single copy for play use so you don't damage the original. You can have 1, and 1 only copy at time. regardless of what you're playing it on. You want to have the DVD, and have it on your IPhone, you destroy the copied DVD...one original, one copy...period. You're found with more than one, or distributing it to ANYONE, you get fined until you're bleeding out the ears.

Tom
said

I don't know what all of this has to do with being a soldier...anyways, does this mean that if I want a certain music album on CD as well as on my ipod I will have to buy it twice, once in form of a CD and the second time electronically? This is absurd! This law will only make the illegal downloading stronger. Stop dragging people to court and make music cheaper!! If I buy a CD I want to have the right to use it in any way I want for my own hearing pleasure.

Mark Crambull, proud pirate
said

Confession:

I began my criminal activity as a mere infant. Involving my mother as an accessory, a copy of my favorite cassette Sesame Street Sing-A-Long for use in the car.

This began my long relationship with copyright infringement. Before you knew it, I was asking my babysitter to make a copy of Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness by the rock group Smashing Pumpkins. A Double Album.

By the time Napster became available, all innocence was lost. I was stealing music, unapproved by local radio stations, which I shouldn't have ever heard.

All I can hope, is that this new bill gives crooks like me the punishment we deserve. Also, that the record companies I have hurt give me forgiveness, I'm truly sorry. I was shown a poor example in my youth.

Jordan
said

"However, transferring a legally-owned DVD or CD to another device would be legal as long as no lock is picked."

That is not true. The majority of commercial DVDs have encryption on them that require decrypting, or digital lock picking as it were.

If this law is similar to the laws in The States there would be more lenient fines/penalties if you went to Future Shop and shoplifted a second copy of a DVD rather than copy it for yourself at home.

Shane macleod
said

hummm, beg to differ,copyright laws are outdated and serve nobody but the corporations who prop them up - the younger generation is well aware of "copy-modify-distribute"there are so many artists ripped off by fellow artists and the corporations that distribute the media - folks the genie is out of the bottle - No law is going to change the status-quo. Go have a look at the laws put into place after the invention of the printing press - same crap - this is the last gasp of a group trying to grasp fistfuls of sand as it slips through their fingers... Copyright laws should be abolished not enhanced.

Gerhard
said

The problem with the last legislation is that every feature that benefited the consumer had a workaround that allowed the media industries to take it away just by adding a digital lock.This one will be no different: a lot of pretend rights.

MAZ in AB
said

Mike Campbell

First off We're proud of you soldiers too! :)

Secondly, the "crooks" you refer to aren't the Tony Soprano type. The crooks are your average joe downloading/duplicating music illegally!

Pierre
said

The world has changed, time for the industries to adapt. Time to stop suing students and single mothers for downloading music and figure out another way to make money off them. Enforcement is difficult when you turn the majority into criminals.

Martin of NS
said

This will just make criminals out of regular people who wish to transfer information/film/music from one medium to another. If this legislation is passed will the levy be dropped for record/production companies when people buy blank cds/dvds/bluray? Make all music/movies affordable then maybe I wouldn't be so cranky and downloading from P2P filesharing networks.

Bryan
said

Canadians need to closely monitor and weigh in on this bill.

The bill most notably mentions bypassing DRM (digital rights management) measures illegal. This means that if you purchase a DVD overseas, you will no longer be allowed to legally watch it, as using a Region-free DVD player is a means of bypassing DRM software.

As well, if you want to turn your DVD library into a digital library on your Media Center PC, that will be illegal as you are bypassing the DRM software to do so.

"Protecting the rights of consumers" is a false statement. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act imposed in the United States has just allowed large corporations to sue individuals for ridiculous amounts of money. But how is it that an individual will get a FAR lower punishment if they walked into the store and robbed them for 5 DVDs. In fact, you would need to steal close to 250 DVDs to even be charged with Theft over $5000.

The fact is, the MPAA and RIAA are heavily lobbying the government because they want to be immune to the recession. They can't figure out why people can no longer afford to go to the movies. In the US, they just won a suit to allow companies to disable DVR recording support for certain shows, forcing you to watch the show only during its allotted time.

I look forward to reading Michael Geist's breakdown of this bill, and his feelings about the little parts that surprise us. As well, I recommend Canadians visit the Pirate Party of Canada website, and read how they are about Fair Use, not copyright infringement.

mike campbell ,proud soldier
said

It is about time. Just maybe we will join most of the world in the 21st century and we can stop being singled out by other countries as a safe zone for these crooks who commit these crimes.