Canada's Music Lobby Buys Government Access 158
An anonymous reader writes "Copyfighting law professor Michael Geist, who previously uncovered financial links between recording industry lobbyists and Canada's Minister of Canadian Heritage Bev Oda (who is responsible for copyright policy), has now identified what big cash donations will get you. He reports that Oda met with the President of the Canadian Recording Industry Association on a monthly basis last year just as the government was preparing copyright reform legislation and Canadian artists were calling for an end to P2P lawsuits. Is it any wonder that Canadians seem likely to lose
their fair use rights?"
Sometimes I hate living in America Jr. (Score:3, Funny)
Maybe we'll copy the "DRM is a bad idea" that the 'mericans are coming up with now.
While we're at it maybe we could import some backbone and tell Quebec to get stuffed...
Tom
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Re:Sometimes I hate living in America Jr. (Score:5, Funny)
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You should know better than advertising Quebec without making French more prominent than English.
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You can put the sign up, but it can't be as big or bigger than the French sign as I understand it. I've never been there, and don't plan to so I couldn't say for sure.
Je Ne Suis Pas D'Flibustier (Score:2)
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Anyway, what conservative Quebecois party are you talking about? The Bloc always seemed pretty liberal to me.
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You cannot get a job as a civil servant unless you speak French, even if it's a job where no French is required. It is very difficult, and sometimes impossible, to get government forms in any langua
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It goes on indeed.
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Isn't that true in all of Canada? It is here in Manitoba.
Re:Sometimes I hate living in America Jr. (Score:5, Insightful)
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Most of it is. Except Quebec. There is only one official language there: French. They can pull these shenanigans because they did not sign our constitution.
It is. I live in Winnipeg, which is supposed to be the largest French speaking population outside of Quebec. I have never met anybody who spoke only French and no English in my life.
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I'll take it you don't like to travel, nor do you think the tons of material available on the Web in French could contain anything of interest to you?
I most confess your attitude just baffles me. Maybe you have to already be bilingual in order to understand how knowing a different language widens you perspective. There are certain things I c
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Let me put it this way: Out of all the languages in the world to learn, why would I choose French? Who would I talk to?
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French won't help me speak to the cab drivers in Edmonton, which would be more helpful to me. I'm not even sure what language that is.
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I stand corrected. In that case, I don't see a problem with Quebec demanding that civil service applicants speak French any more than it is for us to demand they speak English here.
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It must not be, because they aren't even asking for it on the job postings [jobbank.gc.ca] that I see.
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Name me a place outside of Quebec that gives a shit though. PLEASE.
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Minority rights? Minorities (AKA: Only the french) have the right to make me learn their language in school? Or tell me what kind of sign I can put outside my business? Well why should it be done for the French, and not all minorities? I have a friend who moved here from Isreal, maybe we should be teaching his language as well. It seems that learning English is quite difficult for him.
In the past, we took native children from their homes
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Here [pembinatrails.ca] and many, many other places.
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He's the Premier, not he Prime Minister.
Charest was a member of the national Conservative Party, not the provincial party, before he entered Quebec politics and joined the provincial Liberals. The PLQ is the provincial wing of the national LIBERAL party.
Better red than red (Score:2)
Red as in US GOP [redstate.com] or red as in communist [wikipedia.org]?
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A Red or Blue Tory is on the left or right wing of the party - the same applies for the Liberals.
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Spineless? Probably, but less so than the Cons (Score:3, Insightful)
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yeah, i believe it was.
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Not liberal as in "liberal/conservative".
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It's all government, not just USA/Canada (Score:4, Insightful)
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The sole-proprietor independent pizza shop on the corner is the only business hierarchy that isn't built to take advantage of governmental constructs.
R
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Only in the US I think.
Re:It's all government, not just USA/Canada (Score:4, Informative)
Really? A lot of people don't realize that The Corporation [imdb.com] was a Canadian documentary. I think most of that is a consequence of the WTO which we are a part of as well.
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While we're at it maybe we could import some backbone and tell Quebec to get stuffed... :-)
Please do. Quebecois are just like the asinine American stereotype of real French people... only worse... and not actually French. News flash Quebec: If you want to secede from Canada, you'll need to set up your own health care and money independent of the other provinces... I know you like using theirs, but you really can't once you stop paying taxes to Ottawa and they make it a felony to export any significant quantity of $CDN out of the country.
As for the rest, please accept my sincerest apolog
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Once they stop paying taxes to Ottawa, then maybe Alberta will be off the hook for the $16.7 billion (about $2,178 per person) [fin.gc.ca] they pay those traitorous jackasses every year.
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So, to enlighten you, no, Canada's healthcare is not nationalized. Healthcare here is managed by the provinces, with funding provided by the federal government, as Transfer Payments [wikipedia.org] in the form of the Canada Health Transfer [wikipedia.org]. This funding is provided with the condition that the provinces must implement a system which is compatible with the Canada Health Act [wikipedia.org].
So, yes, Quebec has it's own, independant healthcare syste
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Tom - please note that the following is not directed at you...
Don't go dragging the US into this. This kind of crap goes on in every single government until the citizens of that government do something about it. If you live in a country where you think this doesn't happen, you are either naive or the government doesn't have resort to such tactics because they already have you by the balls. Most government leaders are in office for one of two re
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Although now that some industries in the US are taking a non-DRM stance I'd like to see Canada "copy" that
Tom
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I wouldn't mind having proper deep dish pizza make it's way north though...
Maybe some hot san diego ladies too
Tom
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You want to earn some extra credit? Abolish the language laws and stop voting for the Bloc. Until then I'll view all Quebecois as two-faced liars worthy of the highest contempt.
Isn't to say I hate french culture or whatever. Just pissed off that Quebec feels so entitled to special status.
Tom
eh. (Score:1)
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oh wait, that's fargo, that's an AMERICAN film ya hoser.
Tom
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Re:Well....... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Well....... (Score:4, Funny)
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duh (Score:5, Funny)
Thats what lobbys do. I say we ban lobbying all together. Who wants to help me lobby for that? Bring money.
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I know you're joking, but seriously, the only way to defeat the well-financed lobby groups is to bring votes. Governments can only be bought as long as that money translates into votes at election time. Shift your culture so people vote for what they believe in and not what they saw on TV and you've won. Change the rules so political parties can only accept donations from businesses that are on the same scale as what private citizens could realistically offer and you've won. But achieving either of these ch
Re:duh (Score:4, Informative)
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I mean, come on. You know how many canucks are gonna have to pony up $1100 to raise what one donation from Exxon nets? Thousands and thousands. And then you've gotta answer to like thousands of people! One donation from Exxon, and I just answer to Exxon. It's good comm
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People vote for what they believe in, problem is they believe what they see on TV.
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That's fine in principal, but how can you ensure that lobbying groups don't abuse that?
Say that Lobbyist Group A gave 1,000 people $1,100 each if they would promise that they'd contribute $1,000 of that to Candidate X (and they could keep $100). How could you know which of the thousands of political contributions are from people b
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We all knew it was coming. (Score:1)
Just recently I read a newspaper article stating that Canada is now on the watch list for movie piracy (up there with Russia and China.) The article stated approximately 50% of movies are cammed here, and that the movie industry will likely delay the releases of new films here.
I'm not surprised at all.
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I'd rather have more indy films than hollywood crap [which incidentally is filmed more and more in Canada anyways!].
Frankly, if the movie looks half decent I'll spend the $10 to see it in the theater, and THEN make a copy once it's out on DVD. If the movie is just mildly entertaining [re: better than watching my facial hair grow] I'll just copy it from DVD.
Lesson: make less shitty movies.
Tom
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I don't go to theatres anyway. I don't download movies. I don't rent them. They just don't interest me to begin with.
I can only think of one movie that's coming up this year that has my interest: Die Hard 4 (or whatever they call it.) That'll probably be the only movie I'll see this year.
I hope that one isn't a waste of time.
Still, I'm not surprised that this has happened. Canada is pretty lax on this topic. I'd like it to stay that way, but they'll be pressured into copyright "re
You pegged the REAL issue here (Score:2)
Sounds like you get it more than the article poster. "Whining" and dining the heritage minister every month has been happening since Copps was the minister in the Liberal government, and we managed to avoid our own DMCA to this point. The current political environment has provided the opportunity for much more public input and consideration that the previous governme
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Fine with me. I'm sure the movie industry counts me as a "lost sale", and blames it on piracy, or home theatres. Instead, I should be under the "only goes to see 1-2 movies per year because the rest are either not interesting to me, or outright suck"
"You want me to fork out HOW much? This better be f*ing Oscar material, for that price..." (this applies to both theatre prices, and DVD prices)
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Who really cares about "cammed" movies? Anyone who'd download a 700 MB file, of a blurry, shaky video with a tinny soundtrack obscured by laughing and cellophane rustling is welcome to it. Either they're desperate to see a film and
but... but Chretien! (Score:4, Funny)
OW! My political beliefs!
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But, but, they introduce an Accoutability Act and everything! It even has fancy paper!
I find it disenheartening that her response was "it was legal at the time". Shouldn't she be respecting the act NOW, since her government pushed it through? Respect the spririt of the law and all that? It reminded me of contractors who say "what? I did it to code" which basically means "I did the bar
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Don't worry (Score:4, Interesting)
I imagine in the meantime, they have bigger fish to fry (like trying to survive), than to worry about a politically unpopular move to satisfy record company executives.
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If this were to get into the general media, it would create I firestorm, I believe... As Canadians, we are all about our personal rights and freedoms, and if someone is shown to try and cut into those freedoms, he's in big trouble.
All I hope for, is that it happens sooner than later, I can't take much more of Harper, Ambrose, Strahl, and the rest of
Not a Partisan Issue (Score:4, Informative)
They were correct for modding you flamebait for an anti-Conservative tirade. This is not a partisan issue. Bev Oda's predecessor in Paul Martin's Liberal government Sam Bulte [wikipedia.org] was just as guilty of accepting money from the music lobby. [michaelgeist.ca] The content industry will throw money at whoever they think can deliver copyright "reform", regardless of what party represent.
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Oh come on. Now you're just being silly.
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Please find me a Conservative poll then that shows they've stayed the same, or have increased in popularity over the past year.
Ummm.... (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Ummm.... (Score:5, Interesting)
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Canadian Supreme Court (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Canadian Supreme Court (Score:5, Insightful)
If they neglect to remove fair use though, it would be a valid argument against such a law. I'm assuming a DMCA challenge would be easier in Canada, because of that. They can't deny you the tools to be able to exercise your right to fair use, afterall...
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It's already illegal [justice.gc.ca] to use P2P to download music. Unless you can rig your P2P client to do 0 upstream traffic and still actually be able to download something then you are distributing copyrighted material. The limitation section of the fair use clause specifically lists
Dam, I voted for her too... (Score:5, Informative)
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The CRIA is not a Canadian organization (Score:5, Informative)
Oh please (Score:2)
The CMCC has the backing of all major Canadian labels, not just artists. Anything the CRIA has to say should be relayed through David Wilkins.
My letter to my MP (Score:5, Insightful)
It's important all Canadians write their MP and educate them about the CRIA shenanigans.
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Bribery (Score:3, Interesting)
Longer term I think there should be a declaration on who writes an actual bill not just who sponsors it, and politicians be forced to declare conflict of interest and remove themselves from any proceedings regarding such legislation or face censure - something I'm sure their opponents will enjoy using the next election.
Of course the trouble with all this is that even if media industry looses this round, they'll just try again in a few years. So I still smile when I hear that the music industries sales are still falling despite the growth of online sales.
Same Minister responsible for Net Neutrality (Score:5, Informative)
My letter to my MP (Score:3, Insightful)
I am a constituent in your riding, and I am writing concerning an article from CBC.ca concerning fair-use rights in Canada (http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/01/11/co
Like many Canadians, I am a lawful citizen who loves both music and technology. I am a Computer Programmer by trade, and am also a musician; needless to say, I take both of these subjects quite seriously, and I am concerned when my enjoyment of either of these become threatened by law. You see, I listen to all of my purchased CDs on my home computer and my portable music player. The first thing I do when I buy a Compact Disc is to 'rip' it to my home computer, so I can catalog and listen to all of my music as digital music files, or MP3s. Under current Canadian law, 'fair-use rights' allow me to do this.
If new legislation proposed by the Hon. Maxime Bernier and Heritage Minister Hon. Bev Oda is passed, my 'fair-use rights' will be taken away. I will considered a criminal in the eyes of the law if I choose to copy music in any way which I have purchased.
The simple fact is that we, as Canadians, already pay a 'private copying levy' on all blank media to supplement lost revenues due to piracy; those of us who buy blank CD-ROM media, even if used to backup personal data, are already giving the Canadian Recording Industry money. The continued stong revenues from music Compact Discs, added to the success of Digital Download services such as iTunes prove that piracy is not hurting the Recording Industry as much as they would like us to believe.
The problem is that taking away our fair-use rights, and enacting Digital Rights Management on musical Compact Discs would prevent copying of music for any purpose. The Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) would be given the ability to charge multiple times for the same music (Once for a Compact Disc, once for a PC and once for each Portable music player). This unfortunately appears to be the ultimate goal of Digital Rights Management; it has little to do with actually combating piracy. This is greed, plain and simple, yet disguised as anti-piracy measures. Canadian legislation should not be enacted merely to provide large industries additional revenue streams; the law abiding consumer loses in such a scenario.
I am not the only voter who would be affected by such legislation; this would affect every citizen that owns an iPod or other portable music player, or has ever listened to music on a PC. If this legislation is enacted, the outrage will be felt by many average citizens.
The Canadian people do not want this. The recording artists themselves do not want this. This legislation only serves the interests of the CRIA and major music distributors. It is also distressing to learn what close ties Hon. Bev Oda and the CRIA have, even though the voices of average citizens and Canadian recording artists are not being heard (http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/1631/125
I truly hope that you take this issue seriously, as I do sincerely believe that if this legislation is enacted and Canadian fair-use is taken away, Canadian citizens including those in your constituency will act swifty and harshly.
Thank-you for taking the time to read this. It is appreciated.
[Name]
[City and Province]
Lambton--Kent--Middlesex
CC: Maxime Bernier, Bev Oda
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I'm going to send a similar letter to my MP as well.
Note that we shouldn't copy the letter, fellow Canucks - they'll think it's a form letter and ignore it.
Oh Well! (Score:2)
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Oh, come now. Québecois politicians have corruption nailed down just as well as, if not better than, their Ottawa counterparts. Indeed the duplication of all levels of the Federal government in Québec simply encourages this. Ever wondered why the income tax is so high here?