OT: proposed new Canadian copyright law

rs170a wrote on 5/24/2008, 4:34 AM
I just read an article in today's paper that got me more than a bit upset.
It seems that our federal government has been going behind our back in an effort to give even more power to clamp down on copyright violators.

Here's an excerpt from the article. The highlighted part is what truly worries me.

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The deal would create an international regulator that could turn border guards and other public security personnel into copyright police. The security officials would be charged with checking laptops, iPods and even cellular phones for content that "infringes" on copyright laws, such as ripped CDs and movies.
The guards would also be responsible for determining what is infringing content and what is not.
The agreement proposes any content that may have been copied from a DVD or digital video recorder would be open for scrutiny by officials -- even if the content was copied legally.
Anyone found with infringing content in their possession would be open to a fine. They may also have their device confiscated or destroyed, according to the four-page document.

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Even scarier is that fact that federal trade agreements do not require parliamentary approval.

More information about the leaked ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) document can be found on this site.

Mike

Comments

ChristoC wrote on 5/24/2008, 5:33 AM
My reaction to checking laptops, iPods and even cellular phones for content is that it would be a futile excercise - firstly, for the sheer size of content on such devices, and secondly, that 'smuggling' content is so much easier directly via the internet. I suppose they will also be checking everyone for swallowed memory chips?
TheHappyFriar wrote on 5/24/2008, 6:03 AM
i thought conucks paid a royalty on all media (HD's, cd's, dvd's, tapes, etc) to cover copyright royalties? wouldn't that make this law illegal?

i find this funny too... canada thinks US border security is crazy, but they want to make their border officers be anti-piracy police too. :?
rs170a wrote on 5/24/2008, 6:15 AM
i thought conucks paid a royalty on all media...

We've done that for a very long time.

wouldn't that make this law illegal?

Since when has that ever stopped a government?
BTW, our current prime minister has been taking a lot of lessons from your president :-(

canada thinks US border security is crazy

Try crossing at the bridge or tunnel in Detroit lately.
Be prepared for a LOT of questions, no matter who you are.

...but they want to make their border officers be anti-piracy police too. :?

Add it to a long list of things they're "supposed" to be doing.

Mike
craftech wrote on 5/24/2008, 6:30 AM
Don't worry,

I am sure they will take their cue from the US government and instead of hiring more personnel, they will just double up the responsibilities of those who are currently employed and expect them to police this. Of course, they will be lax about it (with good reason).

John
TheHappyFriar wrote on 5/24/2008, 6:39 AM
BTW, our current prime minister has been taking a lot of lessons from your president :-(

and our future presidents are taking lots of lessons from your PM. :'(
rs170a wrote on 5/24/2008, 7:08 AM
and our future presidents are taking lots of lessons from your PM. :'(

Sounds like we're all in deep doggy doo-doo :-(
blink3times wrote on 5/24/2008, 7:34 AM
I think it's all a bit of a show aimed at impressing the American Government. It's the longest (relatively) unprotected border in the world and both sides in the import/export business would like to see remain that way. The USA however tends to look at Canada as being a bit lax in the border protection department especially since 9/11 (Don't know why... none of the 9/11 highjackers had much to do with Canada).

If looked at, Canada simply does not have (as of yet anyway) these kinds of controversial laws INSIDE Canada
JJKizak wrote on 5/24/2008, 9:03 AM
They already have some mailing/shipping restrictions in place, holding up DVD's for sometimes 6-8 weeks.
JJK
craftech wrote on 5/24/2008, 9:11 AM
The USA however tends to look at Canada as being a bit lax in the border protection department especially since 9/11 (Don't know why... none of the 9/11 highjackers had much to do with Canada).
===============
None of them had anything to do with Iraq either, but that didn't stop us from occupying Iraq did it?

John
johnmeyer wrote on 5/24/2008, 10:30 AM
The USA however tends to look at Canada as being a bit lax in the border protection department especially since 9/11 (Don't know why... none of the 9/11 hijackers had much to do with Canada).

I'm not sure how this thread went from Canadian copyright law to 9/11 hijackers. However, just to answer this one question, entry from Canada apparently came close to causing a major problem, prior to 9/11 and prior to Bush. The thwarted "Millennium Plot" has been well-documented, both at the time and since:

2000 millennium attack plots
craftech wrote on 5/24/2008, 11:46 AM
The USA however tends to look at Canada as being a bit lax in the border protection department especially since 9/11 (Don't know why... none of the 9/11 hijackers had much to do with Canada).

I'm not sure how this thread went from Canadian copyright law to 9/11 hijackers. However, just to answer this one question, entry from Canada apparently came close to causing a major problem, prior to 9/11 and prior to Bush. The thwarted "Millennium Plot" has been well-documented, both at the time and since:

2000 millennium attack plots
============
Yes, we thwarted those terror attacks and the 1993 Day of Terror bombing plot before Bush took office. Too bad he ignored the warnings and let 9/11 happen.

John
winrockpost wrote on 5/24/2008, 11:56 AM
no dont get sucked in no, don't post on political stuff, damn ,


.........we thwarted those terror attacks and the 1993 WTC bombing plot before Bush took office

How by letting the bomb go off
craftech wrote on 5/24/2008, 12:12 PM
.........we thwarted those terror attacks and the 1993 WTC bombing plot before Bush took office

How by letting the bomb go off
========
Sorry,

Post corrected. My mistake. Happened shortly after 1993 WTC bombing attack.

John
apit34356 wrote on 5/24/2008, 5:10 PM
Well, there has been a push for a while for smartphones that are bluetooth or wifi enable to response to "master Key" inquired with a quick content summary, ie, 34 copyrighted material with 400k bytes, non-checked 1.2M bytes, total free storage.....
craftech wrote on 5/24/2008, 5:15 PM
Well, there has been a push for a while for smartphones that are bluetooth or wifi enable to response to "master Key" inquired with a quick content summary, ie, 34 copyrighted material with 400k bytes, non-checked 1.2M bytes, total free storage.....
===================
Someone posted a link to that not too long ago in response to another post. Was that you Apit? Sounded interesting.

John
AtomicGreymon wrote on 5/24/2008, 7:35 PM
Sounds like a pretty ridiculous "law" to me; but then this country has been going downhill ever since the Alliance (I still refuse to think of them as related to the old PC party in any way; this new party is anything but progressive) got in the driving seat. Prior to this, our conservative party wasn't really all that right-wing; certainly not by American standards. Now, sadly, we're finally getting a taste of what having a truly right-wing party is like; and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Do they really expect border patrol to ever be properly qualified to determine what constitutes a copyright infringement or not?

If this trend continues, I'll probably end up moving to Denmark or someplace in the next 10 or so years, lol.
Laurence wrote on 5/24/2008, 8:16 PM
This is the sort of thing that happens when lobbyists write the laws.
riredale wrote on 5/24/2008, 8:54 PM
I think it must have been a very slow news day at the Windsor Star. I'd put this article in the "let's worry about everything" category. How the heck could a border agent go through a laptop, looking for copyright infringement? What if the user had encryption?
rs170a wrote on 5/25/2008, 4:54 AM
The bigger issue in all of this is that it assumes you're guilty without giving you a chance to prove your innocence.

Mike
Chienworks wrote on 5/25/2008, 5:14 AM
I'm just thinking about how the last time i came across the border at Niagara Falls i waited in line on the bridge for 4 hours. (In fact, i spent nearly an hour with the front seat of my car in NY and the back seat of my car in Ontario!) If this law is enforced i can see the wait times stretching out to weeks instead of hours. It would pretty much effectively kill all travel between the two countries.
rs170a wrote on 5/25/2008, 5:31 AM
Kelly, anyone crossing the bridge or tunnel into Detroit faces this on a regular basis.
Coming into Canada is (usually) quicker.
Canadian customs typically ask three questions (citizens of what country, how long were you away, did you buy or receive anything).
U.S. customs ask at least 20.
There are plans in place (and have been for at least 10 years!!) to add a new crossing but, due to all the levels of government that are involved on both sides of the border, this is still at least 5 years away.
In the meantime, the busiest border crossing in the country (the bridge handles at least 15,000 to 20,000 trucks per day), gets slower and slower :-(

Mike