leeroy
12-06-2008, 12:52 PM
The federal government tabled legislation on Thursday that will see individuals fined $500 if they are caught downloading copyrighted files.
Industry Minister Jim Prentice tabled the proposed amendments to the Copyright Act in the House of Commons on Thursday.
The proposed amendments include:
new exceptions that will allow Canadian consumers to legally record television shows for later viewing and copy legally acquired music onto other devices, such as iPods or cellphones;
new exceptions for some educational and research purposes;
new rights and protections for those who create content;
provisions to address the liability of Internet service providers and the role they should play in curbing copyright-infringing activities on their networks.
The bill was first put on the Commons order paper last December but has been in limbo for the past six months.
David Fewer, staff counsel at the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic, said the amendments are similar to legislation in the United States.
"This legislation paves the road for the kind of file-sharing lawsuits that we've seen in the United States," Fewer told CTV's Canada AM on Thursday.
"Canadian consumers should be concerned that we're going to see those kinds of consumer-targeted lawsuits appearing in Canada and I think that can only be characterized as a bad thing."
Fewer said the new amendments won't do anything to change the problems associated with file-sharing.
"I don't see these laws having any effect on creators," he said. "We're not going to see any artists getting paid one penny more under this law.
Fewer said there have been proposals from the Songwriters Association of Canada and the Canadian Music Creators Coalition for an alternative "Made in Canada" approach to the problems.
"It's just so frustrating that our politicians aren't even debating these approaches," he said.
Canada's current copyright laws were created long before personal computers and iPods became so popular and mainstream.
Currently, the copyright law, which was originally intended to catch commercial cheaters, carries a maximum fine of $20,000 for infringements.
Industry Minister Jim Prentice tabled the proposed amendments to the Copyright Act in the House of Commons on Thursday.
The proposed amendments include:
new exceptions that will allow Canadian consumers to legally record television shows for later viewing and copy legally acquired music onto other devices, such as iPods or cellphones;
new exceptions for some educational and research purposes;
new rights and protections for those who create content;
provisions to address the liability of Internet service providers and the role they should play in curbing copyright-infringing activities on their networks.
The bill was first put on the Commons order paper last December but has been in limbo for the past six months.
David Fewer, staff counsel at the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic, said the amendments are similar to legislation in the United States.
"This legislation paves the road for the kind of file-sharing lawsuits that we've seen in the United States," Fewer told CTV's Canada AM on Thursday.
"Canadian consumers should be concerned that we're going to see those kinds of consumer-targeted lawsuits appearing in Canada and I think that can only be characterized as a bad thing."
Fewer said the new amendments won't do anything to change the problems associated with file-sharing.
"I don't see these laws having any effect on creators," he said. "We're not going to see any artists getting paid one penny more under this law.
Fewer said there have been proposals from the Songwriters Association of Canada and the Canadian Music Creators Coalition for an alternative "Made in Canada" approach to the problems.
"It's just so frustrating that our politicians aren't even debating these approaches," he said.
Canada's current copyright laws were created long before personal computers and iPods became so popular and mainstream.
Currently, the copyright law, which was originally intended to catch commercial cheaters, carries a maximum fine of $20,000 for infringements.