Dear Samantha,

 

As an individual who enjoys the arts, as well as, an enthusiast of this new digital age, I understand your concerns. However, I hope that with this reply, I can alleviate those concerns regarding the new Copyright legislation, Bill C-61 that is now before Parliament.

 

The recently introduced Government Bill to amend the Copyright Act is designed to bring our copyright laws into line with advances in technology and current international standards. This is an important and overdue piece of legislation; it has been ten years since this legislation received its last major reform. In that time, an Internet revolution has occurred, as have major advancements in technology. Our balanced and Canadian made approach to copyright reform will help to ensure fair access by Canadians to copyright material, as well as, to protect the rights of Canadians who create material that is copyrighted.

 

Our Government is the first to expressly allow Canadians to record their TV and radio shows to enjoy at different times, without infringing copyrights. Our reform will also permit Canadian citizens to copy music onto devices such as MP3 players, and to copy books, newspapers, videos and photos into different formats. Last but certainly not least, our Bill limits at $500 the amount of statutory damages that individuals may be liable to pay if they infringe copyright for private use, provided that material is not protected by digital lock. (Currently, statutory damages could be as high as $20,000 for a single infringement).

 

Furthermore, our Government has introduced important measures to support industries whose success depends on copyrights, such as software companies, musicians, photographers, and filmmakers. We are providing stronger protection for digital locks online so that companies that have chosen to use them in their business models will have the support of the law.

 

With this Bill, we have also introduced stronger provisions to address Internet piracy. I believe this copyright reform promotes innovation and competition in our digital, knowledge-based economy. It is the Governments role to create the conditions for Canadian business, as well as, our entire economy, to flourish and prosper. Creating this environment for Canada is our goal, and by setting up these policies within this legislation, we can accomplish this.

 

With this Bill, you will be able to legally tape your favourite TV shows and movies, without fear of infringing copyrights. This Bill will also allow you and your family to take CD’s and songs purchased online and transfer them to your MP3 player, legally – - this Bill clarifies that this type of activity is legal in Canada.

 

This is a unique, Canadian made approach that seeks to balance rights-holders and users needs. I trust that this has helped to ease some of your apprehension over this important legislation; if you want more information in this regard, please visit the Copyright Reform Process website at www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/crp-prda.nsf/en/home.

 

Sincerely,

Richard M. (Dick) Harris, MP Cariboo – Prince George

I’m not very politically-motivated, but after reading about these amendments I had to write to my MP to express my disapproval. I’m all for maintaining reasonable rights for the copyright holders, but I also want fair-use for individuals. Why? Let me tell you about my entertainment system.

I cancelled my cable TV subscription over a year ago and bought an AppleTV media player. I watch a lot of podcasts, and now I even use it to rent movies (thanks Apple Canada). In addition to all the free (and legal) podcast content, my wife and I have a rather sizable DVD collection. As we live in a small Vancouver condo, we don’t have room for a large entertainment system. Our fireplace mantle only has room for our television and AppleTV, nevermind a DVD player. So, we copy the video from our legally-purchased DVDs to our AppleTV for viewing, and store the DVDs for safekeeping.

Under Jim Prentice’s new Copyright Act, this behaviour (watching videos I own on a device I own) would be illegal. That is unacceptable to me.

If it’s unacceptable to you too, and you happen to be Canadian, then you can do something about it. You can use this website to send an email to Jim Prentice and your local member of parliament, and tell them how you feel. It’s quick and easy to do.

What really bugs me about all this is that Minister Prentice chose not to consult the Canadian people when drafting these amendments. Instead, he reportedly spent most of his time consulting with big media companies, US lobbyists and the US ambassador to Canada.

I am forced to wonder why Minister Prentice would draft a bill that would make criminals of ordinary Canadians, based solely on the input of US lobbyists? What’s in it for him? Obviously not the support of the Canadian people, based on the responses I’ve seen on the net and elsewhere. Maybe a shiny new car?

Here’s a YouTube video of a heated debate in Parliament over this issue.