"Sounding Canadian" long time "Dead dog cafe"
NDP candidate to make copyright a byelection issue in Guelph, Ont.
Last Updated: Friday, July 11, 2008 | 4:59 PM ET CBC NEWS
NDP candidate Tom King pledged Friday to make the federal government's
copyright reform bill an issue in the upcoming byelection in Guelph, Ont.
One of three ridings that will hold federal byelections in early
September,
Guelph is expected to be hotly contested by Conservative candidate Gloria
Kovach and Liberal candidate Frank Valeriote, after in***bent Liberal MP
Brenda Chamberlain resigned in April.
King, a longtime artist and writer, urged Guelph-area residents to get
politically involved to prevent the proposed copyright legislation from
becoming law and push for rules that are fair to artists and consumers.
Valeriote couldn't be reached for comment.
Bill C-61, introduced last month by Industry Minister Jim Prentice and
Heritage Minister Josée Verner, seeks to update Canada's copyright rules
and
bring them in line with the country's obligations under the World
Intellectual
Property Organization treaty signed more than a decade ago.
The bill spells out Canadians' rights with respect to digital copying of
content, granting permission to make copies of books, photographs, music
and
other media.
It found sup****t with a number of entertainment industry groups, including
the
Entertainment Software Association of Canada and the Canadian Recording
Industry Association, for proposing methods of stopping illegal piracy of
copyrighted works.
However, the source of most of the criticism is the bill's
anti-cir***vention
clause, which would allow copyright holders to place digital locks on
content
to prevent copies from being made. Critics claim the clause invalidates
all of
the other rights granted, thus heavily skewing the bill in favour of
copyright
holders.
"Under Bill C-61, if you purchase a new computer and move the songs from
your
iPod to the new computer, the Conservatives believe that is a criminal
offence," King said in a news release. "This type of American approach to
copyright law does not benefit Canadian consumers, or Canadian artists."
King said he is looking forward to working with grassroots activists on
the
issue.
The proposed bill won't progress much over the next few months as
Parliament
is adjourned until Sept. 15. When it resumes, the bill will receive its
second
reading and then be sent to a committee for closer scrutiny. The
Conservatives
could make it a confidence bill, meaning that if opposition parties voted
it
down, they would force an election.
|
