ACTA

Questions about ACTA in House of Commons today.

So far the opaque ACTA negotiation makes me nervous. I hope Ministers Tony Clement and James Moore knows they can’t consult us and then ignore our opinions. That will be very bad.

[via Michael Geist]

22 Minutes On Canadian Copyright Reform

Funny parody of Canadian copyright reform arguments on CBC This Hour has 22 minutes.

[via Michael Geist]

Copyright Consultation Submissions in numbers (5 days in July)

Repost data from Michael’s “Tracking the Copyright Consultation Submissions: July 20 – 24, 2009“

We have less than six weeks left in the consultation – speak out on copyright today and keep the momentum going !

*******

Position	Number of Supporters
Submissions against another Bill C-61	90
Submissions in favour of shorter Copyright term	34
Submissions against anti-circumvention or in favour of limiting DRM/Digital locks	114
Submissions in favour of stronger personal use/copying and backup protections	100
Submissions in favour of an “open copyright” system	7
Submissions advocating an end to the Crown Copyright	3
Submissions opposed to adopting an American-styled DMCA	15
Submissions in favour of stronger fair use/fair dealing protections	17
Submissions opposed to implementing WIPO	4
Submissions in favour of eliminating all copyright	2
Submissions against a three-strikes rule	4
Submissions that favour a “notice and notice” approach	83
Submissions in favour of instituting a levy for file-sharing	4
Submissions in favour of greater exemptions for education/research	6
Submissions in favour of establish a good-faith defence that the user believed their use of a work was fair and non-infringing	83
Submissions in favour of stronger penalties for copyright infringement	1
Submissions in favour of turning copyright into a crime	1

*******

Like the Harper’s Index (more here), sometimes numbers can tell us a story.

We have less than six weeks left in the consultation – speak out on copyright today and keep the momentum going !

Copyright e-Consultation (July 20 to Sept 13, 2009)

Canada is having a fresh round of copyright consultations, face-to-face, and more importantly online e-consultation from July 20 to Sept 13, 2009. And all Canadians are welcomed to share their views and send thier inputs.

Since copyright affect all Canadians, did you know the old Bill C-61, if it had passed, would have made all Canadians who own a affordable/”cheap” Chinese-made DVD player a “copyright-criminal”? Since the Chinese-made DVD players can play DVDs from all regions, it “breaks” the DVDs’ digital locks and thus broke the law and making us all “copyright-criminals”!

Now, I am reposting the following message to members of the Facebook group “Fair Copyright for Canada – Calgary Chapter” and hope Canadians will take a few minutes to read and understand the issues and submit their concerns and views.

*******

Dear Fair Copyright Calgary Chapter members,

This group has been quiet for the last few months but I’ve some good news to share.

Our long & hard fought copyright battles (protests and meeting with various MPs) since Dec 2007 have resulted in Canadians winning the rights to have the federal gov consult with us first before they try to update the existing copyright legislation.

With the clear and unacceptable defects in Bill C-61 are still fresh in our memories, it is extremely important for each of us to take a few moments to email our submissions. Yes, it is as easy as an email !

*** Online Consultation ***

The public and online consultation period is from July 20 to Sept 13, 2009.

The Copyright e-consultation site has instructions to submit your views and many useful resources (events archives, discussions, comments, and public submissions).

Prof. Michael Geist has created a specific site to share his insights specific to this consultation.

And Michael’s “short answer” on copyright.

*** Calgary Round Table on Copyright***

On July 21, 2009, Rob Tiessen (chair of the Canadian Library Association‘s Copyright Working Group) attended the Calgary Round Table and Rob has kindly shared with his meeting notes. Pls follow this link to read his notes.

*** Sharing our views about copyright ***

Yes, we won the rights to be heard. Now, lets speak out by sending in our email submissions.

So lets keep it up by redouble our effort to share our views and remind the government of the problems in the ill-conceived Bill C-61. Especially we now have two new ministers that are working on the copyright file, Minister Tony Clement (Industry) and Minster James Moore (Heritage), who seem to be willing to listen to Canadians.

Lets exercise our rights and “Speak Out On Copyright” by check out the above links, and send in your submission via email.

Cheers,
Kempton Lam
Fair Copyright for Canada (Calgary Chapter)

Copyright Round Table in Calgary

Rob Tiessen (chair of the Canadian Library Association‘s Copyright Working Group) has kindly provided us with his meeting notes at the Calgary Round Table on Copyright on July 21, 2009. The following are his notes.

Thanks Rob.

*******

As chair of the Canadian Library Association‘s Copyright Working Group, I was asked to represent CLA at the Calgary Round Table on Copyright on July 21, 2009.  The Federal Government is consulting Canadians on modernizing copyright in Canada.  Part of the process includes Copyright Round Tables in Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Gatineau and possibly more locations.

The following organizations gave presentations at the Calgary Round Table:

• The Canadian Association of Broadcasters – Gary Maavara
• The Canadian Chamber of Commerce – Lee Webster
• The Canadian Library Association – Rob Tiessen
• The Canadian Publishers Council – Catherine Campbell
• Digital Alberta – Rene Smid
• The Retail Council of Canada – Peter Pilarski
• Shaw Communcations – Cynthia Rathwell
• The University of Calgary Student’s Union – Kay She

The following Government representatives attended the Calgary Round Table:

• The Honourable Tony Clement.  Minister of Industry.
• Ms. Colette Downey.  Director General – Marketplace Framework Policy Branch – Industry Canada.
• Ms. Barbara Motzney.  Director General – Copyright Policy Branch – Canadian Heritage.
• Ms. Zoe Addington.  Policy Advisor to Minister Clement -

All the Government representatives were very engaged in the process.  Minister Clement asked many follow up questions to the participants.

The Canadian Library Association presented on the following points.

Fair Dealing:

• We would like to see the most important elements of the CCH Supreme Court Judgment incorporated in the Copyright Act.
• Canadians who act with a good faith belief that their actions with respect to a work are within fair dealing or are protected by some other user right should not be subject to statutory damages, similar to the provisions in section 504 of US copyright law.

Canadian Copyright Consultation

[via Michael Gesit]

“The Canadian copyright consultation has launched with a site that offers Canadians several ways to ensure that their voices are heard.  As expected, there is a direct submission process, an online discussion forum, and a calendar that includes information on roundtables (by invitation only) and public town halls (the public can register for the town halls to be held in Montreal and Toronto).  The site features an RSS feed, there will be audio/video transcripts of the roundtables, and there is even an official twitter feed.
The consultation features five key questions:

1. How do Canada’s copyright laws affect you? How should existing laws be modernized?
2. Based on Canadian values and interests, how should copyright changes be made in order to withstand the test of time?
3. What sorts of copyright changes do you believe would best foster innovation and creativity in Canada?
4. What sorts of copyright changes do you believe would best foster competition and investment in Canada?
5. What kinds of changes would best position Canada as a leader in the global, digital economy?

“

Read more in Michael’s entry.

Canadian Copyright Consultations

A new round of Canadian copyright consultations is going to be launched on Monday July 20th in Vancouver (and then coming to Calgary on July 21st). It is  an almost 2 months long process running from July 20th to Sept 13th.

Will these consultations be “a substantive and sincere effort” as Minister James Moore tweeted? And will the consultations truly “move this issue forward”? I don’t know.

So far, the fact the consultation is to be launched on coming Monday (July 20th) and the first session is also going to be held on Monday with little time for participants to prepare (days) is a bit worrisome. This lack of transparency is unfortunate.

But I am willing to give Moore and Minister Tony Clement benefit of the doubt. Lets see if we will have a repeat of the failed and aborted Bill C-61 (hopefully not) or a “a substantive and sincere effort to move this issue forward“?

Clement is 48 and Moore is 33 and very much into all the tech stuff as I’ve seen Moore’s passionate speech in Banff this past June. So are these signs of hope? Only time can tell.

I will save my judgement until I see more of the almost two months long consultation process and then the result proposed bill to see if the government of Canada listens. Words like “a substantive and sincere effort” are strong words to use if the government doesn’t delivery.

Canadians deserve some well thought out copyright law. Just take a look at these over 80,000 concerned Facebook members and you can see.

Canadian Copyright Consultation

“There is word this weekend that the government’s plans for the national copyright consultation has taken shape. The consultation will officially launch on Monday, July 20th and run for nearly two months until Sunday, September 13th.” See more in Michael Geist’s blog entry.

Unravelling the Canadian Copyright Policy Laundering Strategy

Interesting analysis by Michael Geist, “Unravelling the Canadian Copyright Policy Laundering Strategy“. A case of manufacturing consent laid out clearly for all to see.

Digital Economy Conference

I hope Michael is right in his reflection after attending the federal gov organized conference titled Canada’s Digital Economy: Moving Forward. And I look forward to a constructive consultation in the summer and hope it will lead to some positive changes compare to Bill C-61.

Last year’s experience with Bill C-61 left thousands of Canadians deeply disappointed with government on copyright policy.  Yesterday’s remarks signal an important shift with both Clement and Moore clearly committed to more open consultation and to the development of a balanced copyright bill that better reflects the real-world realities of new technologies, innovation, new creators, and the reasonable expectations of Canadian consumers

Conference Board of Canada’s “Reputation”

The recent actions by Conference Board of Canada and its CEO Anne Golden have reminded us the meaning of, “It takes a lifetime to build a reputation, five minutes to destroy it.“

Read this repost by “Curtis Cook, one of the listed authors on the plagiarized Conference Board of Canada reports. Cook’s experience sheds new light on the Conference Board plagiarism story, including interference from copyright lobby funders, the exclusion of deBeer’s research from the report, and the decision to lay blame on Cook, who had left the organization almost a full year before publication of the reports.“

Read the full account by Curtis here.

Conference Board of Canada Explains Plagiarized Reports

Anne Golden, CEO of Conference Board of Canada, “explains” the plagiarized IP reports on TVO’s Search Engine podcast.

After listening to the interview, I think it is very unfortunate that Ms. Golden failed to directly acknowledge the plagiarism in the report and the failure to explain why different views/conclusions, that are different from Conference Board’s paid sponsor and industry lobby group, are not included.

[via Michael Geist]

Conference Board of Canada Recalls Plagiarized IP Reports

After Michael Geist flagged the problem on Monday (May 25), and a few days of this and that, Conference Board of Canada has finally (May 28) recalled three plagiarized IP reports.

Thanks Michael for flagging the problem with the Conference Board “researches”.

Some Obama Mistakes

My free-market economist friends (thanks Wallace & Zhaofeng) keep reminding (in a friendly way) me that I should be more careful and don’t sound too much like an uncritical cheerleader of President Obama.

While I admire President Obama deeply, I assure my friends that I will not blindly support all things Obama. So, for the record, here are some samples of President Obama mistakes discussed/illustrated by news articles.

Guantanamo (and the Khadr’s case)

Obama revives Guantanamo Bay tribunals (CBC)

Photographs and Kangaroo Courts (NYT) (emphasis added)

“It was particularly distressing to hear Mr. Obama echo Mr. Bush by saying that releasing the pictures would not add “to our understanding of what was carried out in the past by a small number of individuals.” This was not the fault of a few individuals. It was widespread, and systemic, the result of policies set at the highest levels of the Bush administration.

Mr. Obama was elected in part because of his promises to correct these lawless policies. He must create clear rules to deal with prisoners. And there must be a full accounting of what went so horribly wrong and how. Otherwise, Mr. Obama risks turning Mr. Bush’s mistakes into his own or, in the case of the photographs, turning Mr. Bush’s cover-up into his own. More important, he risks missing the chance to make sure the misdeeds and horrors of the Bush years are never repeated.“

Homeland Security

The no longer quite so undefended Canada-U.S. border

Canada more lax than U.S. about whom it lets in, Napolitano says

While it is sad to see Americans being so fearful and I can understand and sympathize with why Americans are still being so fearful, it is still sad to see our once undefended Canada-U.S. border needing patrolled by $10 million a piece drones. Sad.

Trade
U.S. will respect trade pacts ‘as we always have’: Obama
“Buy American” clause is wrong even Canada should not be affected because of our trade agreements.

Copyright
U.S. Congressional Hearing Blames Canada, Again

U.S. pressures Canada on Copyright Law, and TVO’s Search Engine

Jesse Brown interviews Michael Geist on U.S. pressuring Canada on copyright law. Listen to one last episode (mp3) of the award winning Search Engine on CBC.

The next episode will be from TVO (subscribe to RSS feed here, read a TVO interview).

Jesse, Good luck and all best at TVO.

Industry Minister Tony Clement on Copyright Reform

Thanks go to Stephen Taylor for posting the first interview with new Minister of Industry Tony Clement on copyright reform.

P.S. As an aside, I want to wish ministers Jim Prentice (the former Minister of Industry and current Minister of Environment) and Tony Clement best of luck in their new positions.

Meeting Jason Kenney – A Fair Copyright for Canada Chat

Fair Copyright for Canada (Calgary Chapter) member John Jardine (who lives in Calgary Southeast) and I had an informative 40 minutes meeting with Hon. Jason Kenney (MP for Calgary Southeast, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, and Secretary of State (Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity)) to discuss with Jason our many concerns about the former proposed copyright amendment (bill C-61). Jason also shared with us his views and what the elected politicians were told by the departmental officials (the so called “bureaucrats”).

As the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, I consider Jason as the PM‘s close confidant and I truly hope Jason will be able to persuade the PM (and indirectly the next Industry Minister) of the importance in holding extensive Canada wide consultations (online and off line) before tabling a new copyright bill.

On a personal note, I mentioned to Jason that I’ve organized a total of 12 different copyright events in Calgary (including protest rallies, informational meetings, meeting with MPs, and government officials, etc (I wrote about 10 of them here)). At the end of the day, I hope the Harper government will listen to the concerned Calgarians and Canadians across the country and take the opportunity of a new parliamentary session to involve Canadians (both experts and regular citizens) to draft a better and fairer copyright bill.

If the government is responsive and truly listen to Canadians, then I don’t need to organize all these events and can find different ways of spending my time. (big smile)

P.S. Special thanks Jason’s assistant Ms. Peggy Anderson for arranging our meeting with Jason in very short notice. Thanks Peggy for your help.

Vote ABC: My Tortuous Path in Digital Democracy – vote Anything But Conservative

I am not a regular traveler in the Dominion of Digital Democracy. The last ten months has truly been a tortuous journey for me to try to hold the Harper government accountable for for the Unfair Copyright Bill and I have posted YouTube videos and written & videoed extensively in this blog.

My journey started when I helped organized the first Fair Copyright for Canada rally in Calgary in December 2007. And I also helped founded a Calgary Chapter. Here is a CFCN TV report of the Dec 2007 rally.

In hindsight, we now know the government did not want to talk BEFORE the bill was tabled. And the government still did not want to talk AFTER the bill was tabled. Minister Prentice was simply playing a political game of delay.

To understand a little more of my tortuous journey and how I came to the conclusion of voting ABC (Anything But Conservative). Please take a look of my report (with video links) documenting my 10 months in trying to hold minister Jim Prentice accountable.

From my reports, I hope you will see a concerned Canadian’s long journey to try to hold his government accountable but failed spectacularly. I failed to get the government to listen to our concerns more than paying lip service. And I failed to get Minister Prentice to come out to say he will consult with Canadians, something simple and fundamental in a democracy.

Here is me trying to get minister Prentice to say he will “consult with Canadians” (YouTube part 1)

Here is part 2

In the last ten months, I encountered a Conservative Harper government that

• listened to US lobby groups and US ambassador
• but unwilling to listen to Canadian citizens
• stone walled Canadians for as long as it could, delaying any discussion until the bill was tabled,
• and then, after delaying tabling of the bill for six months, still came up with a poorly drafted bill full of problems
• with a tabled bill, still refused to talk or consult with Canadians that have legitimate and concrete critiques of the bill

Jim Prentice is a nice man, good father, good husband but his flawed copyright policy and unwillingness to agree to something as simple and basic as “consult with Canadians” makes him a horrible minister and politician. He should be defeated.

If Prentice doesn’t listen, or serves in a government that doesn’t let me speak his mind, then it is indicative of the Conservative Harper government’s desire to run everything from the PMO. Therefore we must elect a different government.

It is difficult to oppose a government in power.

It is difficult to oppose a government when your MP is the PM.

But like Senator Laine Hanson said in the drama “The Contender”, “Principles only mean something when you stick to them when its inconvenient.”

Well, trust me, it is “inconvenient” to be in the opposition when your MP is the PM.

Please visit Anything But Conservative.

And vote ABC (Anything But Conservative).

Vote ABC.

Stephen Harper, Copyright Pledge, Les Misérables

Stephen Harper – It is unfortunate that the Conservative Party has steadfastly refused to listen to Canadians and has released its platform and devoted half a page to copyright that leaves little doubt that it plans to bring back the ill-conceived Unfair Copyright Bill C-61. May be Danny Williams‘s Anything But Conservative makes sense and has a point.

Copyright Pledge gaining momentum – It is so encouraging to see many candidates and MP, and 50 more, and 30 more politicians signing up to the Fair Copyright Pledge.

Les Misérables – Why is the Harper conservative afraid to talk to the people? Does 92,000+ voices online opposing the Unfair Copyright Bill C-61 mean the Harper Conservatives should listen to the people once for a change? Do You (the Harper Conservatives) Hear the People Sing?

*******

The following is a slightly modified version of what I wrote when the Calgary chapter of Fair Copyright for Canada was launched in Jan 2008. I think it still applies now.

***

When politicians are arrogant enough

to think they are

superior to Canadians who elected them,
When politicians are eager-to-please enough

to listen mainly to

foreign government officials

and leaders of transnational corporations

instead of Canadians,

When politicians are manipulative enough

to care more about spinning reporters

instead of listening to concerned Canadians,

Can these politicians hear what concerned Canadians are saying?

***

If there was a theme song for

Fair Copyright for Canada,

it could well be

Do You Hear the People Sing?

from

Les Miserables

We have to argued peacefully, with passion, and reason.

Run Prentice Run – Holding Jim Prentice Accountable at all-candidates debate re: Unfair Copyright Bill C61

Industry Minister Jim Prentice attended an all-candidates debate last night in Calgary. I took the opportunity to try to ask him questions about the Unfair Copyright Bill C61 and ask if he will consult with Canadians across the land before tabling it in the future.

His evasive responses and actions were surprising to say the least. And his aid’s and supporter’s determination to stop me from simply asking Jim my simple questions were even stranger. Please watch the YouTube clips see see for yourself.

Here is Run Prentice Run (YouTube video clip 1)

Here is Run Prentice Run (YouTube video clip 2)

P.S. If you enjoy Run Prentice Run, you may like the wonderful German film Run Lola Run. Have fun. (Note: I don’t speak German, but “Politician Speaks” sometime sound like German to me.)

*******

Oct 3rd, 2008 Update: Here is Gordon McDowell’s coverage (audio and some video) of the whole debate.