Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Tory bill cracks down on copyright pirates

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community
I've held back commenting on Canada's new copyright legislation until I knew what it said. Overall, it looks like a pretty reasonable package. There's no three-strikes law, it's a notice-and-notice system, penalties for personal infringement are minimal, and there are permissions for format shifting and fair dealing. But. There's a big but. The provision on digital locks over-rides all of that. The law includes a DMCA prohibition against unlocking your purchased content, no matter what rights you may have to use that content under other provisions of the law.

The best hope now is that the bill could be amended. Opposition parties are saying they will key in on the digital lock provision. So, maybe, out of all of this we may get a bill that resembles the copyright regime we currently have. Which would be good. There has been extensive coverage of the proposed legislation elsewhere. We Don't Care What You Do, As Long as the U.S. Is Satisfied, says the PMO, according to Michael Geist. He also offers an analysis of the bill. He links to nine newspaper reports. Here's a point-by-point comparison with the widely-unpopular Bill C-61. In addition, educational agencies are seeking changes to provisions that would limit the use of media in classrooms, distance learning, and libraries.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Apr 18, 2024 12:27 a.m.

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