Stop Canadian DMCA!!! Don't let it happen here!
I don't like Cory Doctorow - I think he's full of himself, in that smug, blogger, "Everybody listen to me!" kinda way. I have absolutely no visions of grandeur and could care less if anyone is listening to the drivel I flatulate most days...
But I'll thank him for reminding me that Canada is about to make a huge mistake, cow towing to our evil overlords south of the border...
I'm not going to tell you what to do, I can only tell you what I'm going to do and why...
1) Get Educated
As a musician myself, I can tell you that although I care about the rights of the artist to make a living, there is nothing in this bill that convinces me the lives of musicians in Canada will be any better for it. In fact, there is a good chance it will get worse, as once copying music is criminalized, it will be very difficult for the canadian government to justify the continued levies on recording media (CD-Rs, blank tapes ect), thus eliminating a revenue stream that most artists do collect (eventually)
UPDATE: Michael Geist has some initial comments here...
2) Contact my Member of Parliment
I'm sending a letter to the following person:
Hon. Karen Redman
105 King St East, Suite 2
Kitchener, Ontario
N2G 2K8
Telephone: (519) 741-2001
Fax: (519) 579-2404
I'll be writing my own letter, but as soon as I find a good form letter I will post a link. If you are going to go your own way in the meantime, be specific about the issues at hand, refer to the specific part of the bill that you disagree with and keep it to the point. Wailing about how music should be free is not a valid argument as at the end of the day, the copyright holder does have a right to make a living from their work. The issue is about the unreasonable limits placed on users of those works that makes this an issue. It's about stifling innovation, creativity and compensating the wrong people in the chain between artist and consumer.
But I'll thank him for reminding me that Canada is about to make a huge mistake, cow towing to our evil overlords south of the border...
I'm not going to tell you what to do, I can only tell you what I'm going to do and why...
1) Get Educated
As a musician myself, I can tell you that although I care about the rights of the artist to make a living, there is nothing in this bill that convinces me the lives of musicians in Canada will be any better for it. In fact, there is a good chance it will get worse, as once copying music is criminalized, it will be very difficult for the canadian government to justify the continued levies on recording media (CD-Rs, blank tapes ect), thus eliminating a revenue stream that most artists do collect (eventually)
UPDATE: Michael Geist has some initial comments here...
2) Contact my Member of Parliment
I'm sending a letter to the following person:
Hon. Karen Redman
105 King St East, Suite 2
Kitchener, Ontario
N2G 2K8
Telephone: (519) 741-2001
Fax: (519) 579-2404
I'll be writing my own letter, but as soon as I find a good form letter I will post a link. If you are going to go your own way in the meantime, be specific about the issues at hand, refer to the specific part of the bill that you disagree with and keep it to the point. Wailing about how music should be free is not a valid argument as at the end of the day, the copyright holder does have a right to make a living from their work. The issue is about the unreasonable limits placed on users of those works that makes this an issue. It's about stifling innovation, creativity and compensating the wrong people in the chain between artist and consumer.