copyright – rgbFilter

Astroturf Bill C-32 groups started by CRIA

June 16, 2010 Doug Groves astroturf, Balanced Copyright For Canada, bill C-32, copyright, CRIA, DMCA, Michael Geist, RIAA1 Comment

There are a number of citizen’s groups that have formed around the new Canadian copyright bill C-32, nicknamed the DMCA for Canada. Most of these groups are real people concerned about changes to Canadian copyright policies in the digital age. Now, via Michael Geist, comes the story of Balanced Copyright for Canada, a group preteneding to be ordinary citizens, but apparently created by the CRIA (Canadian Record Industry Association don’t you know). They’re making use of the same social media tools that grassroots organizations on either side of the argument…

Bill C-32 and digital locks

June 8, 2010 Doug Groves bill C-32, copyright, digital locks, DMCA, DRM, Michael Geist, privacy1 Comment

When the Canadian government put forth it’s new copyright bill last week there were few surprises. The new bill still supports making circumvention of digital locks illegal, thereby negating many of the fair dealing provisions allowed for in the Conservative’s ‘new and improved’ version of bill C-61. Support for freeing up the DRM section of bill C-32 has been growing since it’s announcement. Besides the large swath of consumers opposed to DRM’ed content, groups such as The Canadian Booksellers Association and the Retail Council of Canada are saying “some parts…

New Canadian Copyright bill coming Thursday?

May 31, 2010May 31, 2010 Doug Groves Canadian DMCA, copyright, DRM, Tony Clement2 Comments

According to an article today by Michael Geist, one of Canada’s leading copyfighters, it looks like the replacement for the defunct bill C61 is going to be tabled by the Conservative government as early as Thursday. In Geist’s round up, he points out out that DMCA style anti-circumvention legislation, the most contentious part of C61, will remain intact, though there may be flexibility on time and format shifting. It also looks like the government is aiming to fast track the bill through Parliament. Geist also includes a quote from Industry…

Canadian Copyright Reform… uhm… stuff

October 21, 2009October 21, 2009 Doug Groves comedy, copyright, CRIA, CRTC, Hulu2 Comments

The above clip from This Hour Has 22 Minutes (from Oct 20, 2009) is a great bit about the fears of new technologies and their impact on the recording and television industry. Of course, the fears of new technology destroying the living of artists stretches all the way back to the player piano. Somehow we’ve managed to survive this far… In other news, the Globe and Mail today has an interesting article about how Canadians are being left out in the cold (no ‘snow’ wisecracks please) when it comes to…

Access Copyright wants anything but in Canada

October 15, 2009 Doug Groves copyright, online rights0 comment

As we’ve covered before, the Canadian government earlier this year put a call out to both individual Canadians and businesses and other organizations to state their cases for how the copyright should be treated moving forward. One of the most, well, ridiculous submissions comes from Access Copyright, which collects royalties for writers and publishers. The name ‘Access Copyright’ is exactly opposite of what they want for Canadians. The group is opposed to just about everything you can now legally do with your media, and wants to put an end to…

Canadian Copyright Consultation: Deadline Extended

The deadline to make submissions to the public copyright consultation has been extended until Tuesday night. In case you haven’t already voiced your opinion, there are a number of ways to do so… If you missed last night’s deadline, there is still time to craft your own submission, use a form letter, or send out a quick email. [via speakoutoncopyright.ca] The speakoutoncopyright.ca link also has a number of recent submissions, links to public roundtables and much more.

The Copyright Consultation

Remember Bill C-61, and how that ultimately died on the vine of Parliament, in large part because of public outcry? Well, the Canadian government recently launched it’s first public consultation on copyright in almost a decade, and will be taking public input until September 13th. The above movie, produced by Michael Geist and Dan Albahary, focuses on copyright issues, and more specifically how they affect Canadians. It’s definitely well worth the watch, and after it’s done, you can go here for ways to have you say with the copyright consultation.