The National Post has a surprisingly clear article on internet law and the federal Copyright Act.

For some time the Canadian government has been drafting a bill that would literally affect every Canadian with a computer. While the issues are complex, awareness of the restrictions of the proposed legislation is sinking in. Consumers know when they are being labelled and herded as ‘the bad guy’.

That, along with heated blogs, online discussions and the delivery of thousands of e-mails and letters, has apparently led the minister to ask for the revision of sections of the document dealing with digital rights management (DRM) and anti-circumvention technology.

 

(That’s the technology that blocks users from gaining access to information without paying for it and imposes stiff penalties on those who break through the barriers. It’s a key part of the U.S. Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DCMA), which many believe to be the template for the Canadian legislation.)

 

Clearly, for a fragile minority government, the chorus of angry voices was too loud to ignore. Although many are demanding a broad-based public consultation process on copyright, the objective is now to table a revised version of the bill within the few remaining days before Parliament breaks for Christmas.

ideas Revolution
Michael Geist
Howard Gnoph