Dear friends and fellows, lend me your gears, for I would present myself upon this simulacrum soapbox and beg for a moment’s consideration.
I honestly, truly want to believe that our elected representatives honestly, truly want to do what they believe to be best for the people under their responsibility. Sometimes, though, it is very difficult.
People can be influenced in many ways, not all of them overtly immoral. Perhaps Industry Minister Prentice is simply reacting to what he has been told by those close to him. Perhaps he doesn’t realize just how damaging to the public good this proposed legislation of his is. The major US media companies have a great deal of resources to put towards convincing people of power and authority, like Minister Prentice, that there really is a vast, horrifying cabal of super-powerful hackers dedicated to nothing less than the complete annihilation of our economy, our nations, and our very way of life. And that the only way to stop these terrorists is to hand over total control of all media, art, entertainment, and communication to the unquestioned and unchallenged corporate domain.
Maybe that’s why he won’t talk to anyone in the public about a legislation that directly affects nearly every Canadian (you know, just those of us that listen to music, watch TV or movies, use a computer, read, etc.).
Search Engine | CBC Radio | Jim Prentice says no
Ten More Questions for Industry Minister Prentice
This isn’t about bashing Conservatives, or any other bi-partisan party crap. I’m all over the map when it comes to politics. This is about some very basic consumer rights, so basic that we take them for granted, and can’t logically conceive of them not being there. Like taking a CD (that you paid for), putting it in a computer (that you paid for), and loading the music onto an iPod (that you paid for). Would you like to guess how many laws you just broke? Or how much that will cost you in fines? (I think the going rate in the US is somewhere around $9,000 per song…) To be fair, after the public outcry the last time Minister Prentice tried to sneak this bill through, he was magnanimous enough to let us use our iPods… though the double-speak in the rest of the bill basically makes it illegal again anyway.
That fancy digital tv box you bought so you could watch NHL games in a different time zone? Nope.
Recording your favourite show on your DVR so you can watch it later? Gone.
Playing a DVD on your computer if you don’t run Windows or Mac OS? Forget it.
Complaining about Air Canada on your blog? Your site’s history.
You know how we love to point and laugh at the Americans and their insane litigious culture? Grandmas and 6 year olds being sued by major corporations, Sony infecting thousands of computers with spyware, Internet service providers handing over personal records of their customers without legal cause, warrant, or notice? This is the legislation that makes it possible for these abuses to take place. The US DMCA was passed without discussion, without public input, and without concern for the effects it would have on the American culture. It has failed miserably, resulted in lawsuits against thousands of citizens, driven many people to illegal file-sharing over the frustration of simply trying to enjoy the property they had purchased, and not put one extra dollar in the pockets of any artists.
I wish I was exaggerating, I really do. I wish I was just kidding around with more goofy conspiracy theories and tongue-in-cheek government paranoia. But I’m not. This is serious, this will affect you directly, this has to be stopped. Poor decisions by government officials pressured and cajoled by industry lobby groups have screwed the public over in the past (don’t forget about that extra little fine we get to pay every time we buy a recordable CD or MP3 Player… name me one artist who benefited from that).
I need you to help me. I need you to take action. Don’t be apathetic, don’t hope that someone else will take up the fight for you, there are far too few people willing to stand up for our rights as it is. Don’t let decisions be made for you by people who won’t talk to you!
That link will send you to a page that will let you contact your MP (help you find out who he/she is if you don’t know) and send them a letter explaining your concerns about having your rights packaged up and sold to corporate interests (they have a template letter available, or you can write your own). It’s the bare minimum you can do, please, take 2 minutes.
Finally, I beseech you to educate yourself. There is absolutely no benefit to the Canadian citizen in this proposal, and I firmly believe that anyone who learns of this legislation and how it is being formed will be furious. This painfully biased, corrupt, and unfair sort of politics can only be stopped in it’s early stages. Once it becomes law, it becomes the norm, and people forget what they’ve lost.
Michael Geist:
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