US Says Canadian Copyright As Bad As China's, Russia's 323
An anonymous reader writes "The US is blaming Canada in a new
report that claims that Canadian copyright and intellectual
property laws are as bad as those found in China and Russia. Michael Geist notes
that Canadian officials have dismissed these findings in the past,
arguing it 'does not recognize the Special 301 process due to its
lacking of reliable and objective analysis.'" (Read more about the annual Special 301 report.)
Thank goodness for Dr. Geist (Score:5, Insightful)
A breath of fresh air in the murky air of pollution spewed by the RIAA/MPAA et. al.
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Actually, these criticisms have been pretty thoroughly debunked, perhaps most significantly here [tinyurl.com].
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Did you miss the subject line of the post? He's referring to Micheal Geist as the breath of fresh air, and this moronic report as the pollution.
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The poster before you forgot to add a "not" or "n't" somewhere in his pose I think.
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wow are you are big idiot or just a fan boy of the RIAA. You know if it were for Canadian copyright laws sites like youtube would not exist. So let the US spew there BS but don't say its good. We don't have CR laws the same as the US and its a good thing.
How can you say that with a straight face when the DMCA is purely an American law?
I can say it with a straight face because I believe that Canada has way better laws on copyright then the ancient historical laws of the US. But keep your Copy rights away from me.
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I'm not sure I follow. His statement seems to be implying that the RIAA/MPAA is spewing pollution, creating murky air; which is generally considered to be an unpleasant thing to have. Saying that Dr. Geist is "a breath of fresh air" seems to strongly implying support for Dr. Geist's position and views. i.e. fresh air is generally considered more desirable than murky, polluted air.
Backhanded Compliment? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Backhanded Compliment? (Score:5, Insightful)
It's also the sux0rz.
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Copyright law in the United States is a perverted abomination, mutated over decades by powerful corporations to benefit only themselves to the detriment of the people on whos backs they've built their gargantuan regimes.
****
I'd also like to add that when the U.S. was trying to grow and expand in its early years, we blatantly stole and copied everything that we could get our hands on. If you want to innovate and get ahead of the competition, a policy of ignoring copyrights and patents and so on is a very sm
Re:Backhanded Compliment? (Score:5, Insightful)
What really got my interest from the article was this quote:
It was clear that Washington's patience with Ottawa's repeatedly broken promises has run out, perhaps also a reflection of the greater status and power of the digital and entertainment sectors in the era of the net-savvy Obama administration.
Net-savvy Obama administration. I don't know if those are exactly the words I would use.....
Re:Backhanded Compliment? (Score:5, Insightful)
Why is this the problem of Canadian customs agents? Isn't it the responsibility of the US customs agents get off their arses to check incoming shipments?
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Re:Backhanded Compliment? (Score:5, Funny)
That's the problem with the slow-to-adopt-new-technology Americans. In Canada we use digital methods of content distribution. While they continue to look for these fabled and elusive shipments of DVDs and CDs.
Devious, I know.
Re:Backhanded Compliment? (Score:5, Insightful)
Why is this the problem of Canadian customs agents? Isn't it the responsibility of the US customs agents get off their arses to check incoming shipments?
Because the USA imports on such a massive scale, they have no hope of nspecting even a fraction of what comes in, so they do their best to fob off responsibility on other countries.
Kinda like how Federal agencies barely test imports or they would have caught tainted [everything] from China.
The money and willpower just isn't there.
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You wouldn't think so... But strangely enough Marc Emery got hauled off to jail for breaking a U.S. law on Canadian soil where there is no law against his actions [www.cbc.ca]. Thanks for setting that precedent Stephen Harper.
Re:Backhanded Compliment? (Score:5, Informative)
Exactly. Canada is a free country. Any individual can leave Canada freely. It's up to the receiving country to check who is coming in.
To state that the border are unsafe is ridiculous. Point to the matter is this article [azcentral.com] proving that despite the change in administration, there is still a problem on top when it comes to getting the facts straight. I am disappointed but not surprised.
Re:Backhanded Compliment? (Score:5, Insightful)
the problem apparently is that a lot of commercially bootlegged products make it into the US through Canada. The Canadian government essentially permits this, for example, if you drive across the border with a truck full of DVDs, the Canadian customs agents can't stop you without getting a warrant.
Canadian customs agents are not the police.
Like most civilized countries, Canada doesn't stop & search every vehicle & person leaving the country. Canadian customs agents stop & search incoming traffic.
Keeping bad stuff & bad people out of the USA is the job of the US Customs & Border Patrol.
Re:Backhanded Compliment? (Score:4, Interesting)
While I agree with you on America's messed up copyright laws, the problem apparently is that a lot of commercially bootlegged products make it into the US through Canada. The Canadian government essentially permits this, for example, if you drive across the border with a truck full of DVDs, the Canadian customs agents can't stop you without getting a warrant. If I were the Canadian government, I would consider allowing this until the US agrees to a more reasonable copyright, say 20 years.
20 years? How about, until the author dies. I'm getting pretty sick and tired of people like you telling me what I can and can not do with my music. Yeah, I want to give it away for free, does not mean that 20 years from now, you can use my music as the backing song to a commercial espousing views I don't believe in. It does not mean in 20 years you can take my work, remix it to something you like more, and claim it as your own. I'm sick and fucking tired of extremists who are either trying to screw over the audience, or screw over the creator.
I don't believe in DRM, I don't believe in gouging fans. Like I said, I'd rather give away my music for free and release limited edition albums for collectors. But I don't want to see my music taken away from me so long as I'm alive. And even after death, what then? Stop pushing for limited copyright lengths, you sound just as selfish as the record labels you're trying to fight against and it doesn't really inspire the artists to hear that you expect them to give up their hard work in the near future.
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I don't have much sympathy for people who want complete artistic control of their music into perpetuity. Stealing bits of music is an old artistic tradition, as old as music. Bach did it, so did Berlioz and Liszt. In fact you've probably done it yourself: as Picasso said, good artists copy, great artists steal.
Copyright was established to promote the arts and science, not
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In which case those US customs agents should have a search warrant to check those DVDs unless the basic principals that the United States was founded on have been majorly violated.
Oh wait...
Re:Backhanded Compliment? (Score:5, Insightful)
Agreed. I'm really quite embarrassed that my country would actually criticize another regarding their copyright law and enforcement.
Comparisons??? (Score:5, Informative)
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There are WAY more important laws that clearly shows Canada's are generally more enlightened and less restrictive compared to their American counterparts.
Including copyright law. You see, Michael Geist is stuck in the 80's, where "bad" means "good". Understand now?
Re:Comparisons??? (Score:5, Insightful)
Right. Like the Canadian content laws or the hate propaganda laws.
(oops)
Re:Comparisons??? (Score:4, Informative)
For those who don't know what the content laws are, a certain and sizable percentage of the music and shows broadcast on Canadian radio and television has to be Canadian in origin. The TV part is not all that bad (especially since so many US/worldwide shows are shot there anyway) but Canadian music is... Well, usually pretty awful.
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There is some speculation that the US is going to end up with something like that as well, the Fairness Doctrine.
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Neither is ours. The only government owned media is CBC (and whatever each province has, like SCN here in Saskatchewan) and attempts to censor it tend to be dealt with harshly in the court of public opinion.
Media owning (Score:5, Insightful)
American media is not usually government owned though.
Actually, American government is media-owned: executive, legislature, and judiciary. Full Stop. End message.
Re:Comparisons??? (Score:4, Insightful)
As a red-blooded American who lives in Texas and enjoys making fun of Canada as much as the next guy, I must admit:
I like Canadian music.
Looking at my phone... 4 out of the 22 bands on there (I really need to get my full-sized iPod back) are Canadian. For those who are curious: Arcade Fire, Sloan, Stars, and the New Pornographers. Between the Canadian station on XM and a sister who goes to school in Syracuse, I've rather enjoyed my exposure to it. Maybe I just like awful music though...
Re:Comparisons??? (Score:5, Insightful)
Apostle of Hustle, Metric, Feist, and all the other spin-off bands/solo projects off of Broken Social Scene, Wolf Parade, Miracle Fortress...
Loads more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Canada [wikipedia.org]
(Skip the Celine and the Brian)
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Please see below for some Canadian bands you may not have heard of from the 90's (and earlier) to check out on youtube. Listening to a song from one of their first 2 albums is a good place to start.
*Bands you'll probably like*
*90's*
I Mother Earth
The Tea Party
The Tragically Hip
Age of Electric
Sam Roberts Band
Big Wreck
Moist
Our Lady Peace
*Older*
Rush The Guess Who - "American Woman"
Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
*Bands you may like*
Baren
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Right, because no one has ever heard of Rush, The Tragically Hip, Matthew Good, Sum41, Avril Lavigne, Alanis Morisette, Celine Dion, Paul Anka, Bryan Adams, Great Big Sea, Spirit of the West, Steppenwolf, The Arrogant Worms, David Usher/Moist, Neil Young, Raine Maida/Our Lady Peace, Barenaked Ladies, Bif Naked, Three Days Grace, Sloan, The Tea Party, Crash Test Dummies, Howard Shore, Death From Above, Alexisonfire, The New Pornographers, Arcade Fire, Nickelback, Danko Jones, Finger Eleven, Crystal Castles,
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You're joking, right, AC? There are as many good artists in Canada (i'd argue more) as there are in the US. However, they aren't as buried in the quagmire of cookie cutter RIAA crap and American Idol rejects as the really good US artists are. But, you wouldn't know that listening to Rick Dee's weekly top 40, would you?
I won't bother naming names, since tastes vary, but I don't count Celine Dion or Nickelback in the mix.
Re:Comparisons??? (Score:5, Interesting)
Indeed, just look at the recent case where MacLean' Magazine (Canada's version of Time) got taken to the human rights commission for hate speech.
Watching that unfold really opened my eyes to just how draconian some of our hate speech laws are. The human rights commission has their own rules, and run a kangaroo court worthy of Stalin.
MacLean's only got out of it because they have such a large readership. A huge part of the Canadian population was watching the proceedings and the human rights commission had to let MacLean's go. Otherwise the public would have demanded their closure. But from what I have read a few smaller companies and individuals have been taken to the cleaners by these guys.
I am generally pretty happy with the laws here in Canada, but there are a few things that make you wonder what kind of clowns are running this country.
On a happier note, the Canadian RIAA pushed for those stupid levees on our CDs to compensate for piracy. They made a good buck on that scam too. But now the tables have finally turned. We already have a system for compensating them for piracy. They can lobby all they want but the legal precedent is in place. Generally judges are less corrupt then politicians, so we do stand a chance.
Re:Comparisons??? (Score:4, Informative)
Indeed, just look at the recent case where MacLean' Magazine (Canada's version of Time) got taken to the human rights commission for hate speech.
For reference, here's the story [wikipedia.org].
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The Conservative wackos in power in Canada will probably sneak in the ratification of the ACTA (anti-counterfeiting trade agreement) while the other parties are across the street at the pub. ...or maybe during some sort of 9/11 scenario involving snowmobiles...or toxic poutine.
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Not the poutine! Anything but that!
You cannot see (Score:4, Insightful)
There are WAY more important laws
On the contrary, I would submit that copyright laws are among the most significant in shaping the world as we know it. Copyright laws are not about entertainment, but rather, about thought control.
As a species we are standing on a crossroads never before faced by any species on the planet.
I argue that the single most significant contributor to our supremacy over this planet is our capacity for meme-exchange. We have taken mammalian peer-learning to an unprecedented level. The fact that every member of our species frequently expends great energy in the singular business of meme-aquisition, and that we spend just as much energy in the business of meme-distribution, serves as a testament to its survival-utility and evolutionary effectiveness.
Are we to embrace this freedom, allow the currents of information to flow unrestrained, and see where our exponentially-increasing rate of technological evolution (which, from a more metaphysical perspective, is not so different from our genetic evolution) takes us?
Or are we, on the other hand, going to lock ourselves down and block this flow, all in the name of preserving the economic prosperity of a select few?
Is our future one of wild change and uncertainty, or one of regularity and control?
Information is the currency with which we purchase our spiritual destiny. Copyright law is a manifestation of how we are spending that currency.
I may be a religious nut, but you, sir, are completely blind.
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I argue that the single most significant contributor to our supremacy over this planet is our capacity for meme-exchange.
Please! There's no need to drag Soviet Russia and the lolcats into this.
Re:Comparisons??? (Score:5, Insightful)
Canada's laws aren't, I think, generally more enlightened and less restrictive compared to American law. We have some pretty foreboding hate speech laws in Canada and a significant cross-section of the law is still defined in an unwritten common law; but I suppose if your priorities lie in downloading music, marrying other men or smoking pot we must look like quite the utopia.
The scary part about all of this is the comparison to China and Russia. The copyright laws in those countries are pretty far from lenient, they're just almost entirely unenforced. This whole story is another lie from the people who brought you the rather quaint notion that most film piracy comes from Canadians recording movies with camcorders rather than the reality of film pre-release DVDs getting leaked from the MPAA.
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a significant cross-section of the law is still defined in an unwritten common law
All countries whose legal systems derive from the British system are in this position; the US is no exception. The US system also has the issue that the common law varies from state to state and courts may or may not decide to accept precedents set outside of their jurisdiction as they see fit, which makes the entire thing even harder to deal with.
They're not even a real country anyways (Score:5, Funny)
With all their beady little eyes
And flapping heads so full of lies
Watch out, here comes the RIAA. Maybe I should have posted this from Canada.
Re:They're not even a real country anyways (Score:5, Funny)
Dear Mr/Ms Weedhopper,
It is the duty of the RIAA to protect the intellectual works of Atlantic Records, Trey Parker and Matt Stone. You have violated the copyright of the track "Blame Canada" off of the album "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut," specifically using the following lines:
"With all their beady little eyes
And flapping heads so full of lies"
This usage does NOT fall under fair use, and thus you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent the law allows, including financial compensation for lost revenue do to your illegal use of said content.
Agent Skine
RIAA
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Dear Agent Skine,
We apologise for allowing one of our users to quote the following lines of copyrighted content:
With all their beady little eyes
And flapping heads so full of lies
Those responsible have been sacked.
Sincerely,
The Editor
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Or bomb the Baldwins and we'll call it even.
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This is caused by GOD (Score:4, Funny)
Once I went to Canada and found that the inhabitants there were heathens who spoke some sort of Mexican language and insulted my Wife with their leering glances and slouching, bad manners so I shot them to teach them a lesson that AMERICA belongs to GOD and people who fear and believe in GOD, not "canadians" and other taco-eating peoples who came from Mexico or somewhere like that. So it is not surprising at all that these renefgades from our LORD would copy things badly because most of them are illiterate because they can't even read BIBLES since the BIBLE (the greatest and best book ever writted) is in AMERICAN like everybody already should know from CHURCH. So why is Obama not stopping these terroristical Mexicans of the North? Probably because he is some sort of Italian spy, like I always suspectid.
I hereby eat my words/crow.... (Score:2)
I hereby denounce all of my posts detrimental to Canada and us annexing them ala Fallout....Really.
I bow down to my Northern Hockey Stick Wielding Overlords!
Go Canada! Maple leaves and 'eh! You Hoser!' forever!
Bad form, but...reply to own... (Score:2)
You are a far more forgiving people than US[pun intended]. ...what?
We can trade you one 'Sheryl Crow' for
Okay, throw in Brian Adams, but we are still out producing the crap shit^Hpped out compared to y'all.
Get with the times dude! 'Pump up the Volume'/Shite, man!!
*apply sarcasm filter heavily above*
BTW, I am not anti-Canadian, I was just unduly influenced by the 'Fallout' series, and 'Strange Brew'.
This is why I broke /. protocol to reply to my own post.
Dear USA... (Score:5, Funny)
Dear USA
We really don't give a flying fuck what you think. Come up here, drink some beer, smoke some pot, chill the hell out and go back home with a little less of that pole stuck up your ass.
Your friends and Neighbours
Canada
P.S. When you guys come for the party can you bring me some white castle, we don't have that shit up here and it looks delicious.
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Canada's laws aren't, I think, generally more enlightened and less restrictive compared to American law. We have some pretty foreboding hate speech laws in Canada and a significant cross-section of the law is still defined in an unwritten common law; but I suppose if your priorities lie in downloading music, marrying other men or smoking pot we must look like quite the utopia. The scary part about all of this is the comparison to China and Russia. The copyright laws in those countries are pretty far from lenient, they're just almost entirely unenforced. This whole story is another lie from the people who brought you the rather quaint notion that most film piracy comes from Canadians recording movies with camcorders rather than the reality of film pre-release DVDs getting leaked from the MPAA.
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1218231&cid=27782975 [slashdot.org]
I have to say I find this rather amusing.
But on a more serious note, you've never had White Castle. You poor poor bastard, I'll bring up 3 cases (30/case) this weekend.
Failfacts (Score:5, Insightful)
Wow i didn't know the RIAA and MPAA could lobby the USA to condemn other countries. Have they ever actually bothered to look at themselves instead of being hypocrites telling the rest of the world to do things they themselves are not willing to do.
Look at the http://geo.keff.org/ pirate bay peer tracker and it's clear America and china are the big peer providers for torrents.
sorry Canada is a real democracy not a corporate sponsored illusion. We put laws into place that the people want not corporate powers that run other nations to ignorant to new technology and progression. For starters if we here in the great white north had access to hulu i would not need to download many of the shows i miss well at work. Screw the usa and its overkill laws that allow corporations to exploit and extort their own customer base.
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It's called. Do as we say, not as we do.
For instance, when South Korea passed a law that prevented people under 18 years old from buying cigarettes, which is something the US had already done for decades. The US Congress nailed South Korea to the Wall for it, and retaliated with trade sanctions.
The same goes for this customs bullshit. The US doesn't try to enforce foreign customs laws on their own soil from people leaving t
Again? (Score:2)
Wasn't this already said two years ago, and then when we looked at who this group was in the USA, it turned to be a 'media rights' group or something like that. Either way, I think Canada may just have a bit more sanity in it copyright laws. When I hear lobby groups who represent the likes of the MPAA and the RIAA, I would rather support Lawrence Lassig.
They also blame us (Score:2)
Re:They also blame us (Score:5, Insightful)
It was bad enough when the secretary of Homeland Security said last week the 9/11 terrorists came through Canada. To hear John McCain repeat that lie made me very glad he's not your president. Does he also think Iraq was responsible for the attacks too?
Unbelievable.
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Morally OK dowload some music, yes. Legally, not so much. So many people will quote the ruling that stated that because of the levy it was legal to download stuff in Canada...then conveniently forget the result of the next appeal. No ruling ever stated that it was legal, and the laws don't mention anything about it being legal because of that (totally stupid) levy.
I agree we should either remove that damn levy, or assert that its legal to go on a download spree...but a
Tit for tat (Score:5, Insightful)
I've said it before: The US government and the IP lobbying groups can go frak themselves ten ways to Sunday on this issue.
In the softwood lumber dispute the US not only flipped the bird at Canada, but refused to accept several judgments against them by the WTO and NAFTA.
If you don't respect international laws and rulings against you, don't expect others to respect the lopsided laws you're trying to force down the throats of more free-thinking countries.
(Sadly, they've come to expect no less; in the end, the newly-elected Conservative government rolled over on the softwood issue, gave the ball to the US, and begged for more. Yes, I'm just as disgusted at the pansies who sold us out)
Re:Tit for tat (Score:5, Insightful)
If you don't respect international laws and rulings against you, don't expect others to respect the lopsided laws you're trying to force down the throats of more free-thinking countries.
Rogue states like the US need to be reigned in. The US government has consistently violated international norms for decades, particularly with regards to bizarre claims of extra-territoriality, which basically means Americans think that they can legally apply their wacko laws to everyone everywhere.
Unfortunately, although once a great trading republic, the United States is now a military empire, financed by debt and spiralling into oblivion. Americans will be hurt by their fall more than anyone else, but the rest of the world really needs to start paying attention and thinking about how to deal with a post-American planet.
One of the things we need to do is bring home to Americans as clearly as possible that we don't care about their parochial laws. Canada is in full compliance with all relevant international treaties on copyright, and any extraneous conditions that the Americans would like to impose on us are irrelevant. We are an independent nation, and don't react well to being told what we ought to do by our bankrupt southern neighbours.
Re:Tit for tat (Score:5, Interesting)
Unfortunately, although once a great trading republic, the United States is now a military empire,
WRONG. THe USA has pretty much always been a military empire. Many of our nation's first military actions were to go bomb some town south of our borders to force them to sell to United Fruit Company, which became Chiquita, which became Bonita — and which is still up to illegal tricks to keep their stranglehold on the banana industry in particular.
We are an independent nation, and don't react well to being told what we ought to do by our bankrupt southern neighbours.
You seem to do as you're told the majority of the time.
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You mean Canadian citizens are expected to obey Canadian laws even when not in Canada? Shocked, I am. It's almost as if the laws are a reflection of what is considered acceptable behaviour by the members of a society and those members are expected to maintain those standards at all times. Crazy talk, I say.
Re:Tit for tat (Score:5, Funny)
I've said it before: The US government and the IP lobbying groups can go frak themselves ten ways to Sunday on this issue.
Please cease and desist from using the word 'frak' as it is under copyright. Hang on I just used it. Oh....frak! Now Australia will be added to the list of "baaaaad" countries.
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I'd love to see that, the PM standing up in Question Period and going on the record as saying Canada will pass a new copyright law after an amount of time equal to the time America ignored numerous rulings by tribunals and courts on the softwood lumber issue. Followed, hopefully, "Take that, bitch!"
As an aside, I'm a Canadian, I've lived in Canada for 29 ye
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Actually... (Score:5, Funny)
does not recognize the Special 301 process due to its lacking of reliable and objective analysis
Actually, it's because we don't give a fuck.
Re:Actually... (Score:4, Funny)
It's called diplomacy. You tell them we don't give a fuck in some nice flowery words.
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Diplomacy- telling someone to go to hell in such a way that they actually look forward to it.
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"does not recognize the Special 301 process due to its lacking of reliable and objective analysis"
Actually, it's because we don't give a fuck.
Allow me translate the government-speak for you: "lacking of reliable and objective analysis" == "being full of bullshit". Does that help?
Great (Score:5, Insightful)
Copyright is too strong in the USA. Anywhere that they say is "lax", must be better then the USA at it.
It was supposed to last just long enough so that inventors and artists could make enough money for their next work. Not an ever lasting deal as is what we get with the copyrights being extend again and again.
Bah (Score:4, Insightful)
The sad part is that now that we've been 'called out', so to speak, Canada will inevitably bend to the will of the USA and change it's laws to be just as draconian, if not moreso.
Well... Canada's basically the 51st state anyway.
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As a nice extra touch, the poor sucker who introduces the bill has had a tendency to lose his or her job.
Re:Bah (Score:4, Informative)
Yeah, this is what I thought when I first heard about this earlier today. If ever there were a "big reason" to back the draconian ACTA, international "condemnation" is it. This'll probably let them lobby for and push it through without much, if any, opposition.
Here is how I understand the summary, as bad as- (Score:5, Insightful)
It says Canadian copyright laws are as bad as China and Russia.
What it didn't say is that - US copyright laws are even worse.
No wonder..I am not suprised at all. (Score:4, Informative)
The [mighty] USA will always complain about her neighbor to the north (Canada). Heck, there is even a prominent politician who said [samachaar.in] the 9/11 terrorists came from Canada! Imagine that.
This politician had presidential ambitions I must add.
Then there are those who criticize [spectator.org] its health care system although Canadians generally love what they have and in fact, live as long as Americans on average.
It's a strange world.
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... in fact, live as long as Americans on average.
It's a strange world.
Sorry, we actually live longer - about 2 years longer on average. It's the cold - slows you down, you know
I live in Canada (Score:4, Insightful)
(amenglish)
Y'all can ken go fuck yerselves, ya morans.
(/amenglish)
Canada is the only place I know of where 100 CDRs costs more than 100 DVD-Rs...
We pay EVERY FUCKING DAY massive extra money to the American Ideological State Apparatus [wikipedia.org] and Canadian native culture is pressured into virtual non-existence thanks to the Hollywood/TV juggernaut.
Our only consolation is we have all the water and oil, and the last time you invaded Canada, we kicked your ass.
Please, please, please, we pray that your empire dies so we can sell our resources to the highest bidder and not to you thanks to NAFTA.
RS
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Dang, that's pretty cold.. oh yeah, this is Canada..
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Interesting notes:
* Nobody in the U.S. writes "ken" or says "morans". Sure, it's pronounced "ken" and sometimes written "moran", but your statement makes no sense written or spoken.
* "Can ken" is, it seems, duplicating a word?
* Your money goes to our churches and education system? Really?
* It's hardly our fault that Hollywood is popular in Canada.
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Our only consolation is we have all the water and oil, and the last time you invaded Canada, we kicked your ass.
I am neither British nor American nor Canadian. But I do know that in the war of 1812 the US was fighting the British Empire, not Canadians. A good majority of the troops came from England. Secondly, both armies invaded each others' territories and were repelled. Thirdly, the war ended because BOTH SIDES had no reason left to fight (it was indirectly caused by the Napoleonic wars and directly by the British impressment of US sailors among other things).
Honestly, it pisses me off when Canadians and USians c
Re:I live in Canada (Score:5, Insightful)
And Canada was what? Oh that's right: a Colony of Britain. So, by definition, there were no "canadians" to begin with. However, Canadians have always been distinct from the UK and the USA. So, you're wrong both ways.
A good majority of the troops came from England.
See above.
Secondly, both armies invaded each others' territories and were repelled.
Which invasion? The USA rebels invaded Canada in 1775, and again, got their butts kicked.
Thirdly, the war ended because BOTH SIDES had no reason left to fight (it was indirectly caused by the Napoleonic wars and directly by the British impressment of US sailors among other things).
Again, which war? Oh, that's right - the USA invaded Canada MORE THAN ONCE. And you wonder why no one trusts Americans? Invade Canada. Twice. Get asses kicked twice. Practice genocide on abouriginals and constantly lie and betray treaty obligations. Destroy Mexico. trump up a war with Spain to expand the American Empire (the USA has been an imperial force for over 100 years). Iran, guatemala, El Salvador, nicaragua, Cuba, Phillipines, Israel, etc. etc. etc. It's a long and murderous list.
Canada has PLENTY of problems and PLENTY of its own set of evils, but nothing compared to the USA.
You are wrong on every count. Next.
rS
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The cold has an effect on freezes our memory and train of thought. The parent poster much have been in a cold-snap.
Since Wikipedia is shunned as a reference source by some and we have no other reference material available (see following sentences) we Canadians - yes, I speak for us all, have no clue whatsoever what happened in the war of 1812. Our climate really stops us from gaining any knowledge. Any reference we have is either buried in snow, the pages are frozen shut or our libraries are usually under 2
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Jeeze what the hell man, we elected a socialist so you guys would stop hatin' on us.
Presumably you're Icelandic, as Iceland's the most recent country I know of to have elected somebody from a political party somebody could conceive of labeling as "socialist".; you're certainly not from the US, unless you're completely insane, as nobody sane from the US would assert that the US had recently elected a socialist (the last time I know of that a socialist [senate.gov] was elected in the US was back in 2006).
What's in it for us? (Score:2, Insightful)
Even if we, for the sake of the argument, ignore the practical and ethical issues of current copyright laws as a matter of principle, and buy the argument that infringing copyright hurts the producers and not just the pockets of *AA execs, still, the fact remains that Canada (as well as China, Russia, and the rest of the world) is under huge influx of American corporations, who profit from out-of-border sales while not offering jobs in foreign countries, paying anywhere near the taxes they pay at the states
The actual issue... (Score:2)
What they're actually sore about is that the Canadian legal system isn't open to the same loophole that allows the RIAA to sue file sharers: you can't sue anonymous users, use subpeonas to get their real names, drop the original lawsuits, and then file new ones with the learned identities. I don't know enough about the legal system to know why that doesn't work, but sure enough, there haven't been any lawsuits against individual filesharers here.
In the absence of that, they'd like laws that force ISPs to st
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Well, depending on who you ask, it's not legal in the U.S., either. They happen to get away with it for now, and at some point in the future, we'll find out if it's legal or not.
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Another point is that their usual "Settle out of court for $X or we will bankrupt you in legal fees trying to fight it, even though your case may repel high velocity lead" tactic won't work here due to the loser-pays (aka English Rule) system.
Typical Government Extremist Reaction (Score:4, Insightful)
Pot is as dangerous as heroin.
Ex-GIs might be terrorists.
Canada is as bad as the commies.
Is it any wonder we tend to not believe anything our government says?
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Here in Canada we have a Communist party. In the US it is illegal.
O RLY? [cpusa.org].
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O RLY?.
What he should have said, of course, is that in the US it was made quasi-illegal by government-backed witchhunts investigating people's private political opinions without lawful authority and pressuring large proportions of the population into withdrawing any form of cooperation with anyone found to be involved in the communist party, thus effectively substantially limiting the free speech of anyone who wished to express communist thoughts and effectively decimating the membership of the organisation
The 2009 Special 301 Report (Score:2)
What the 2009 Special 301 Report [ustr.gov] says about Canada is:
Canada will be added to the Priority Watch List in 2009. The United States appreciates the high level of cooperation between our two governments in many important bilateral and multilateral IPR initiatives. The United States also welcomed the Government of Canada's reaffirmation earlier this year of its 2007 and 2008 commitments to improve IPR protection and enforcement. However, the Government of Canada has not delivered on these commitments by promptly and effectively implementing key copyright reforms. The United States continues to have serious concerns with Canada's failure to accede to and implement the WIPO Internet Treaties, which Canada signed in 1997. We urge Canada to enact legislation in the near term to strengthen its copyright laws and implement these treaties. The United States also continues to urge Canada to improve its IPR enforcement system to enable authorities to take effective action against the trade in counterfeit and pirated products within Canada, as well as curb the volume of infringing products transshipped and transiting through Canada. Canada's weak border measures continue to be a serious concern for IP owners. The United States hopes that Canada will implement legislative changes to provide a stronger border enforcement system by giving its customs officers the authority to seize products suspected of being pirated or counterfeit without the need for a court order. The provision of additional resources and training to customs officers and domestic law enforcement personnel would enhance IPR enforcement. The United States will continue to follow Canada's progress toward providing an adequate and effective IPR protection and enforcement regime, including near term accession to and implementation of the WIPO Internet Treaties and improved border enforcement.
It's not clear that it's "[claiming] that Canadian copyright and intellectual property laws are as bad as those found in China and Russia" - or Algeria or Argentina or Chile or India or Israel or Pakistan or Thailand or Venezuela, to give the other countries who appear after China and Russia in the list of Priority Watch countries in the report.
(I'm not saying that the report is justified in thumping Canada - or any of the other Priority Watch or Watch
Is there a 'firearms laws' blacklist? (Score:2, Insightful)
Antigua missing from this list? (Score:2)
Could it possibly be because the WTO awarded them the right to ignore US IP restrictions [theregister.co.uk] due to the US failing to uphold their own free trade agreement? I guess they don't want to highlight the hypocrisy of the US's foreign policy.
Re:As a fellow Canadian ... (Score:5, Funny)
"First Post", "Frosty Piss", and similar derivations thereof are registered copyright of Anonymous Coward. Were it not for your lax copyright laws in Canada, we'd be sending our lawyers. Expect political intrusion followed by a retroactive DMCA takedown notice, and enjoy your Friday.
Re:In Canada we pay a levy on all blank media... (Score:5, Informative)
Actually mostly just on blank audio media. That is why blank DVDs are cheaper than CDRs