*Headdesking at my government a bit, brb*
Okay, so. Normally? Canada here is pretty cool. But today, Parliament's being pretty dumb about an issue that affects myself and a lot of people I know - it's not the greatest or most horrible of issues, certainly. It's definitely not up there with issues of race and gender, I admit. But it still makes me headdesk like mad, because copyright law is ultimately about the freedom of both creator and consumer.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/the-needles/7832-The-Needles-Goodbye-Mr-Mod-Chips
Now, I agree that copyright law may be in need of some reform. What I don't believe is that I should be susceptible to criminal charge just because I backed up or copied something I already paid for, simply because a half-assed protection was slapped on it. And as brought up in the article, this poses a problem for educators wishing to use copyrighted digital materials in the classroom, which is very high on my list of Not Cool. Teachers have a hard enough time procuring what they need.
Like I said, it's certainly not the biggest issue out there, not by a long shot. But I'd rather not be liable to criminal charge just because I ripped a new CD that I paid for to my computer, or copied that same CD onto my MP3 player.
Edit: On further review, it seems music and broadcasts are excluded by a later clause. However, it seems you are still susceptible to charges if you back up or copy protected DVDs, games, and computer programs - still a huge problem for almost anyone who uses technology.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/the-needles/7832-The-Needles-Goodbye-Mr-Mod-Chips
Now, I agree that copyright law may be in need of some reform. What I don't believe is that I should be susceptible to criminal charge just because I backed up or copied something I already paid for, simply because a half-assed protection was slapped on it. And as brought up in the article, this poses a problem for educators wishing to use copyrighted digital materials in the classroom, which is very high on my list of Not Cool. Teachers have a hard enough time procuring what they need.
Like I said, it's certainly not the biggest issue out there, not by a long shot. But I'd rather not be liable to criminal charge just because I ripped a new CD that I paid for to my computer, or copied that same CD onto my MP3 player.
Edit: On further review, it seems music and broadcasts are excluded by a later clause. However, it seems you are still susceptible to charges if you back up or copy protected DVDs, games, and computer programs - still a huge problem for almost anyone who uses technology.