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Tue, Jul 21st, 2009
posted by CCER
As
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] the Canadian Government has put into place some details for its nationwide consultation on copyright modernization. The
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] has been launched, ironically running on
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register], reminding one of the old idiom, actions speak louder than words. Not the most pleasing website ever seen, nor the most technically advanced, lets hope what it lacks in usability is made up for in content and effectiveness.
The website proves to be a decent clearinghouse for its calendar of events, most notably the
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register]. While
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] regarding the closed-door, invitation only Round Table sessions, one can only hope the audio and video from these sessions will be released in their entirety to make up for this lack of transparency. Regarding the Town Halls, while Clement had indicated that the consultations would be coming to ‘a pasture near you’ turns out that unless your pasture backs onto Toronto or Montreal, the Town Hall will not be so near you and your only option will be an email submission or webcast participation.
Although the Conservative Government is to be commended for seemingly making an effort to consult on copyright, a number of concerns remain. For instance reports that the government intends on fast-tracking this legislation is very worrisome. There is word that the Government is looking to get a copyright reform bill signed into law
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register]. Seeing as parliament will not be sitting again until
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] this bill would need to successfully navigate multiple readings and committee hearings in both the house and senate prior to being given royal ascent all in less than 3 months, whereas most legislation takes an absolute minimum of 6-8 months.
So the time is nigh to mobilize the troops. Be sure to post your responses/comments to the
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register], register for the Town Halls (
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register],
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register]) either the webcast or actually attending and submit your formal submission
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register]. Time will tell if Clement and Moore are truly committed to doing things differently, however, if we all speak out we cannot be ignored.
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Fri, Jul 10th, 2009
posted by CCER
Ubisoft is set to receive a government
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] to set up a new game design studio in Toronto. Touted by the Ontario Government as a shift toward more high tech type jobs and projected to add as much as 800 jobs over the next 10 years, however, a number of questions linger. Ubisoft reported a profit last year of $111.5 million, but the Ontario Government feels it can justify sinking $263 million into this company?
We invite you to draw your own conclusions from the above but do not ignore the fact the Ubisoft is committed to substantial investment and operations in Canada. This then leads to our next question; if Canadian IP laws are really as lax as the ESA, CRIA, CMPDA and IIPA claim them to be, why would one of the largest and most respected games studios in the world want to expand operations and continue investmenting in Canada? After all, the International Intellectual Property Alliance claims:
Canada, virtually alone among developed economies in the OECD, remains almost entirely out of compliance with the global minimum world standards embodied in the Treaties…To underscore U.S. insistence that Canada finally take action to address the serious piracy problem it has allowed to develop just across our border, and that it bring its outmoded laws up to contemporary international standards, IIPA recommends that Canada be elevated to the Priority Watch List in 2009.
So does Ubisoft just have a backwards business model? Would a prominent, well regarded and growing video game developer really expand in a country where apparently piracy is the “scourge” causing
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] Someone is clearly feeding the Canadian public and politicians false information. I would hedge my bets on Ubisoft having this one right and the lobbyists, special interest groups and lawsuit happy IP lawyers continuing to lack real world examples to back their outrageous
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] claims.
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Tue, Jun 30th, 2009
posted by CCER
Over a year ago, following the introduction of Bill C-61 we posted two videos to YouTube relating to Canadian copyright reform. These videos originally aired on the
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] formerly Report on Business TV. One video featured Canadian copyright scholar/expert
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] squaring off against Stevan Mitchell of the
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] (Howard Knopf Coming To The Defense Of Canadian Consumers –
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] The second video featured professor
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] sparring with CRIA lobbyist,
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] over the implications of Bill C-61 (Jeremy de Beer & Barry Sookman On Bill C-61 . On June 22, 2009 YouTube notified us that these videos had been removed citing a copyright complaint from The Business News Network. One of the notifications from YouTube:
We have received copyright complaint(s) regarding material you posted, as follows:
* from Business News Network about Howard Knopf Coming To The Defense Of Canadian Consumers
Video ID: YFFdSJ1R9ZE
Just a few days prior to our videos being pulled Jesse Hirsh
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] that YouTube had just pulled one of his videos. A BNN clip which had Jesse taking on a CRIA representative (Jesse Hirsh on RoBTV Regarding BitTorrent
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register]). What was happening? Was BNN demanding every clip posted on YouTube be taken down or were they targeting clips relating to Canadian copyright reform only? A quick search of YouTube would indicate the latter.
It has been one week since the takedown of three important clips relating to Canadian copyright reform and YouTube still has dozens of live BNN & ROBTV videos
Given the above evidence one can only assume that The Business News Network’s intended goal is to silence the debate surrounding Canadian copyright reform by suppressing the rebroadcast of clips which may be unfavourable for industry lobby groups. This also leads one to ask if BNN is acting at the request of a third party or at its own discretion. Since it is not evident that BNN is removing ALL of their content from YouTube and since we believe the clips we posted are part of a very important discussion we have reposted the videos:
UPDATE: Rose Noonan of the Business News Network has provided CCER with clear evidence that BNN is indeed targeting all YouTube content and not just that relating to the Canadian copyright debate. While this is a reassuring development it is at the same time troubling that in a time when many broadcasters are forging partnerships with YouTube BNN has chosen the forced removal of content.
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Mon, Jun 29th, 2009
posted by CCER
It’s a good thing that Industry Minister Clement and Heritage
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] have emerged as ministers who appear to be understanding of the opportunity offered by copyright reform. Both ministers concluded that they are determined to craft laws and polices and that look ahead rather than behind. It seems there is a role reversal underway in Ottawa as the
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] has now concluded the following:
In relation to a recommendation on copy rights and antipiracy of intellectual property, the Liberal Party of Canada supports the recommendation as follows:
“That the Government of Canada immediately introduce legislation to amend the Copyright Act, ratify the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty (WCT) and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT), amend related acts and ensure appropriate enforcement resources are allocated to combat the scourge and considerable economic and competitive damage to Canada’s manufacturing and services sectors and to Canada’s international reputation by the proliferation of counterfeiting and piracy of intellectual property.”
Now we may know why the Liberal Party was so quiet on Bill C-61, given the above rhetoric, perhaps C-61 was not ’strong’ enough for their liking. The Liberal Party appears to be mired in the Dion-era, a splintered party that will try any policy direction in a desperate attempt to gain support. As long as Clement and Moore don’t turncoat on their latest indications for policy direction, the Liberals wont get the chance to make lasting copyright decisions anyway.
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Tue, Jun 23rd, 2009
posted by CCER
Industry Minister Tony Clement hosted
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] today which brought together 150 of the country’s most notable corporate leaders. Although the demographics of the invited group failed to even remotely represent that of Canada (only 1 of the 18 speakers was female) the event appears to have achieved its primary goal which was to lay the groundwork for a national digital strategy.
Clement vowed to move forward with several aspects of a digital strategy including privacy legislation, improved broadband availability and most importantly copyright reform. In his closing remarks Clement commented that much has changed since the introduction of Bill C-61.
When we look at where we were with Bill C-61 for instance on copyright just about a year ago or more than that and where we are now. I think it at least a somewhat different environment, public policy environment, in just the space of a year.
Most notably the Minister of Industry confirmed that he and the Minister of Canadian Heritage, James Moore will be dedicating at least part of their summer to consulting Canadians on copyright reform. The duo will be traveling to “a city, town, village and pasture near you”. In addition one can only hope that Clement and Moore will also consider using conduits such as Facebook and Twitter to consult all Canadians on copyright reform and how it stands to impact them as consumers and creators.
Clement has certainly talked the talk, it remains to be seen whether he will walk that walk on this one. There is little doubt some sort of iteration of Bill C-61 will be presented by the Conservatives this Fall, will they learn from the mistakes of the prior Bills and will there be fair and open consultations accessible to every Canadian?
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Tue, Jun 23rd, 2009
posted by CCER
You can now follow the Canadian Coalition for Electronic Rights on
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register]. We intend on using Twitter to update Canadians on the latest developments relating to Copyright reform and its impact on your rights as a creator/consumer.
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Thu, May 28th, 2009
posted by CCER
In an move to preserve any shred of credibility it may still have the Conference Board of Canada has decided to recall its
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] report which blatantly copied language from the International Intellectual Property Alliance (software, movie and music lobby in the US).
Conference Board of Canada Statement
The Conference Board of Canada has recalled three reports: Intellectual Property Rights in the Digital Economy; National Innovation Performance and Intellectual Property Rights: A Comparative Analysis; and Intellectual Property Rights–Creating Value and Stimulating Investment. An internal review has determined that these reports did not follow the high quality research standards of The Conference Board of Canada.
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Tue, May 26th, 2009
posted by CCER
Yesterday the Conference Board of Canada was given the opportunity by
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] and the Canadian internet community to restore its integrity by retracting its report entitled Intellectual Property Rights in the Digital Economy which simply regurgitated language from the
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] (software, movie and music lobby in the US). The Conference Board of Canada refused to seize this opportunity and instead chose to
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register].
The Conference Board of Canada stands behind the findings of its report, “Intellectual Property Rights in the Digital Economy”.
While Mr. Geist charges the Board with lack of attribution in several instances, in fact, only one citation is missing. We have corrected the missing citation in the report and we apologize for the oversight. All other instances, referred to in the blog, include sources. We also acknowledge that some of the cited paragraphs closely approximate the wording of a source document.
It would seem that a nerve has been struck at the Conference Board of Canada and their
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] over their plagiaristic actions which were funded by taxpayer money.
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] of your money to be exact.
“These are serious allegations. We take any charge of plagiarism seriously,” Rivers[Grahame Rivers, press secretary for John Wilkinson, Ontario's Minister of Research and Innovation] says. “We will be following up and look forward to hear what they [Conference Board of Canada] have to say about this.”
One can only assume that the shameful report released by the Conference Board of Canada is only a small part of a larger campaign being driven by US and Canadian lobby groups. A campaign intent on making whatever legislation is to follow
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] more palatable to the masses.
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Mon, May 25th, 2009
posted by CCER
Yet again
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register], seemingly one of Canada’s only voices of reason on copyright related issues, has uncovered a rather
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] by the supposedly non partisan, non special interest
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register]. The Conference Board of Canada recently published a report entitled
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] and as Geist points out the report is:
a deceptive, plagiarized report on the digital economy that copied text from the International Intellectual Property Alliance (the primary movie, music, and software lobby in the U.S.), at times without full attribution.
As the Conference Board of Canada claims to uphold a standard of accountabilty, Canadians can make their voices heard and let the Conference Board of Canada know just what they think if this plagiarized, inaccurate tripe:
Anne Golden, President and CEO of the Conference Board of Canada:
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Stephen Toope, Conference Board of Canada board member:
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Indira V. Samarasekera, Conference Board of Canada board member:
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register]
John Wilkinson, Minister of Research and Innovation:
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register]
Although Canada has come to accept this type of blatant and unsubstantiated ridicule from lobby groups and special interest groups alike, it is completely dis-heartening and downright pathetic to see supposed independent, not for profit Canadian entities taken their marching orders from Washington. One wonders, just how independent and not for profit the Conference Board really is now? Even with the profit, the Board is now irrelevant and meaningless. Now, what will be the next step for the Conference Board? Will they go into damage control mode or will they undermine the work of Canada’s foremost
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] and for that matter all Canadians, and simply stick their proverbial heads in the sand? Time will tell, however, time will not repair the lack of credibility will that will now be invoked when one speaks of The Conference Board of Canada.
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Thu, Apr 30th, 2009
posted by CCER
As expected the Office of the
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] released its Special 301 Report today however it includes a special twist this year. Canada has been promoted to the
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register]. That’s right, when it comes to the protection of Intellectual Property in the eyes of a biased, lobby dependent, cabinet level position of the US Government Canada now joins the ranks of China, Russia, India and Algeria (just to mention a few).
The move is not unexpected, given recent comments from Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Congressional panels as well as the demands from U.S. lobby groups. Those same groups will now dust off their press releases that lament the “embarrassment” of being included on the list (never mind that countries that represent more than 70 percent of the world’s population are on the list) and the failure to introduce U.S.-style reforms (never mind that Canada enacted anti-camcording laws in 2007, introduced C-61 last year, is an original negotiating partner in the ACTA negotiations, joined the U.S. as a third party in the WTO copyright complaint against China, etc.).
Source: [Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register]
So as things ramp up for E3 the ESA’s propaganda machine kicks into high gear so you of course know they issued a press release applauding this move by the USTR about 3 seconds after the Special 301 Report was released.
Putting Canada on the ‘Priority Watch List’ is a signal of the Obama Administration’s commitment to strengthening global intellectual property protection, and its intent to address this issue firmly with the Canadian government,” said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA, which represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. “Canada’s weak laws and enforcement practices foster game piracy in the Canadian market and pave the way for unlawful imports into the U.S.”
Source: [Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register]
Copyright reforms should be handled by sovereign nations in the normal discourse of their legislative assemblies. Canada has made clear its
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] to protect its intellectual properties. It should not stray from this course because a heavily influenced and lobbied report from another country claims its not pulling its weight. The Special 301 Report is entirely driven by the corporate lobbyists and lacks any dissenting voices of reason outside of US copyright special interest groups. Hopefully our Members or Parliament will
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] and not the US corporate lobbyists who have the power of the media and press releases at their disposal. Ministers should ask themselves or be told, could a representation of over 2/3 of the world population really be guilty of comprising the USTR’s ‘Axis of Copyright Evil’?
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SPEAK UP NOW!!! or Lose our CANADIAN ELECTRONIC RIGHTS BY SEpt 13/09!!!
As a consumer of digital media and electronics you stand to be greatly impacted by changes to Canada's copyright regime. Fortunately, the Government wants to hear from consumers and creators alike so that the interests of all Canadians can be taken into account. Until September 13, 2009 you can participate in the recently launched government consultations on copyright by visiting [Only Registered Users Can See Links. 
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