Canada a hotbed of piracy?

Canada looks to have found itself on the bad side of Microsoft, Apple, and other members of the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), with the group charging that the country isn't doing its part to fight piracy of software, movies and other intellectual property, The Inquirer reports. To that end, the group recently took its demands all the way to the U.S. government, asking for Canada to be moved up to the list of top piracy offenders, which currently includes the likes of China and Russia. The U.S. decided to give Canada a break this time 'round, however, leaving the country in its current second tier position alongside Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, and a number of other countries. Not surprisingly, the IIPA were none to pleased with that decision, saying that Canada's weak enforcement of piracy "continues to cause great damage to legitimate rights holders, both of Canadian and US copyright products."

[Peter Clark @ May 1st 2007 9:54PM]

Yeah... you guys should all move here. No insane industry executives.

[Michael Francis @ May 1st 2007 9:57PM]

Hey, that's not cool, you make it sound like all of use go around pirating...
Joking Joking, it true that no one seems to be doing anything about it around here.
Now if you excuse me I must get back to teaching my grandmother how to use limewire XD

[Chuckles McGee @ May 1st 2007 10:00PM]

As though the savages in the north have mastered our electrick gadgetry and doodads! Poppycock, I say!

[Artie Kay @ May 1st 2007 10:24PM]

The only thing savage in North America is US foreign policy.

[kingofwale @ May 1st 2007 10:01PM]

here's to our beloved American friends.

I have only 1 line for you "No MPAA, No RIAA here in Canada"

enough said. :)

[[e-mail] @ Jul 26th 2007 2:11PM]

Don't hold your breath. I have been contracted to run seminars for Canadian Gov agencies through out the month of August 2007. It appears that Canada has been backed into a position via public response to the deprivation to citizens rights regaurding film screenings, job loss and the detramental effect of piracy.

I am not American nor am I Canadian. It would seem Australians have been chosen as the better advantage. My knowledge of piracy is extensive as I work from the inside. projectw.org knows this only too well. So cockiness may be a little pre-mature. Make way for the MIAA. ;)

[MaxP @ May 1st 2007 10:03PM]

from wich South Park episode does this picture come?

I'll go download it right away

From Quebec, with love

[StevO @ May 1st 2007 10:16PM]

I do believe it's from the South Park Movie:Bigger Longer and Uncut (which features the song Blame Canada).

I could be crazy though

[Fuzz @ May 1st 2007 10:06PM]

OH boo farkin hoo. So we have sane copyright laws that don't treat us like criminals here, and allow us to share our purchases with our friends.

We also have a government that isn't entirely owned(yet) by lobbyists and corporations and does what is best for its citizens, and I sure as hell hope won't bow to this pantywaste wining brought on by a US government department that is clearly the media companies' bitch.

And you know what else? No one wants to watch these camcorder movies that we are so "famous" for providing the rest of the world(which I still doubt is all coming from Canada). The do not represent lost revenue, because anyone who watches them would not pay to watch it in the first place, or WILL pay so they can watch a decent version.

I sure hope our government does cave into this pathetic pressure tactic.

[bbb @ May 2nd 2007 11:03PM]

And you pay extra for blank discs because they assume you're going to infringe copyrights of a select few who eventually get those funds.

Yeah, I'd rather have a fighting chance; thanks, anyway.

[Finite @ May 1st 2007 10:38PM]

Why do you have to go and badmouth the US government when it clearly ruled in opposition to the Intellectual Property Alliance's charges in this case?

If much of the worlds media came out of canada, it would be your governments problem dealing with these groups instead of ours, and positions would be reversed very quickly. Your point of view is most certainly shared by many in the US, there's no need for such silly insults.

[danny @ May 2nd 2007 8:45AM]

" We also have a government that isn't entirely owned(yet) by lobbyists and corporations "

But Canada is owned by US. LOL

Seriously, if it wasn't for powerful neighbour
and natural resources, Canada is nothing.

I am Canadian btw.

[Kris M @ May 2nd 2007 1:40AM]

It is indeed from the movie.

-Kris from New Brunswick

[Paul @ May 1st 2007 10:27PM]

Fuzz, I live in Canada too, but that doesnt sound like my country in your description. We're America's bitch. Pressure is all that's required, we'll see something from Harper soon.

[Fuzz @ May 1st 2007 10:30PM]

I sure hope not. I hate Harper, I wish the opposition would get some guts and get him out of there.

[Max @ May 2nd 2007 12:36AM]

Harp is a minority government, Id doubt he'd risk moving a motion thru the house and risking election cause it makes the MPAA and RIAA "sad" cause taxing our CD+/-R's, Tapes, hard drives, mp3 players, minidisks, dvd+/-R's and others isn't QUITE enough money.

[educationvictim99 @ May 1st 2007 10:29PM]

How many people in Colorado known where Canada is, seriously.

"round" does not need an apostrophe. It's just round.

[Dan @ May 1st 2007 10:53PM]

Even when it's slang for "around?"

[matt @ May 1st 2007 10:33PM]

Well if it weren't for Canada's content rules forbidding me from accessing shows and movies on xbox live marketplace I might not have to go downloading things

[Loonie @ May 1st 2007 10:30PM]

As a Brit resident in Canada, my impression is that Harper is America's bitch, but the Canadians are most definitely not.

[Penguin Warlord @ May 1st 2007 10:41PM]

@FINITE

You may be right to a certain extent except that Canada's government is not controlled by lobbyists and big corporations.

[Mike @ May 2nd 2007 12:57PM]

Canada is a proper noun and as such is spelled with a capital. Oh, wait, maybe that was meant as an insult. My bad!

[Penguin Warlord @ May 1st 2007 10:41PM]

Guess what? Canadians already pay for our illegal downloading. That's right. It may come as a shock but we have to pay an extra tax on all blank media. All the revenue from that tax goes straight to the artists. I greatly prefer this system.

I must agree with the other posters no one wants to watch a shaky cam video.

P.S. Harper is a d--che bag and is only leading our country because, well... I don't really know actually.

[Max @ May 2nd 2007 12:48AM]

THANK YOU! your the only other person i know of on the INTRAWEBZ thats knows about the tax!

and harp is leading cause of the sponsorship scandle, he was the only other alt, [unless your a separatist nut job] thats why he's only a minority government, thats what i was hoping for when I voted for him, he's just a time filler till the liberals change the party around.
I'm still ticked about GST,damn Mulroney

[tehpyro @ May 1st 2007 10:43PM]

I was actually expecting to see canada at the top of the list but was shocked when I did it. Man... people around here take soo much for granted... People are shocked when I tell them that I pay for my music.

[Atra @ May 1st 2007 11:10PM]

This just shows how close we are to Corporations taking over the world. Governments must be on the way out...And then the US government thinking they can go around telling other countries how to run themselves...

[Isaac @ May 2nd 2007 7:50AM]

The Corporations already rule America, and therefore at least influence the rest of the world.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=lobbyist

[ScaryFast @ May 1st 2007 11:12PM]

I live in Canada and tend to try things out before I buy, like Videogames. Halflife 2? tried it, bought it. Battlefield 1942? tried it then bought it. Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion? tried it then bought it.

There are lots of other games I've tried over the years and haven't bought, but that's because after a day or 2 I got bored with it so it wasn't worth it and I didn't waste any money.

I paid the $350ca for Windows Vista Ultimate Upgrade and even think that is way too much money. I'm just glad it acts like the full version so I didn't have to buy the full version :P

[Elias C. @ May 1st 2007 11:28PM]

lol @ Penguin Warlord about Harper comment. Its so true. I hope we have an election soon so we can dump this crap. Canada just doesn't feel right when we have a conservative leader.

Anyway, back to the subject. Our laws rock.

[Karen @ May 2nd 2007 9:08AM]

Ya I know how you feel. I'm so sick of having the lower GST, the Government not trying to make a National Day Care service when we can't afford our Health Care services, ridicules Gun Registration programs and I haven't heard about a good RCMP investigation into the Liberals in a while. Oh YES, Please bring the Librals back in power I have to much extra money to spend on gagets like a the 50" Plasma in my living room. We need more Socialist programs to raise my taxes!

[Elias C. @ May 2nd 2007 12:16PM]

right, fyi, the Conservatives are making a National Day Care just like the Liberals were trying to do...because it works and people want it. Gun Registration is, I agree way overbudget, but it works...otherwise it would have been shut down completely by now and there would not be large groups fighting for it. And the people who were being investigated are no longer part of the Liberals. I don't get how you are clearly willing to sacrifice the safety of our environmental resources...in fact the safety of our environment completely, as well as a whole bunch of money going to Afghanistan (wait...thats sooo much better than social security programs)so that you can have a new TV. I'm sorry to rant, but I just do not understand this. And btw, taxes is what makes Canada what it is. We pay them, we get services that Americans don't (i.e. Health Care), and besides...they lowered the tax ONE percent so now its just harder to calculate in your head. /rant

[jptech @ May 1st 2007 11:40PM]

if we're all in such a consensus about downloading content, why don't we do something about it?

write your congressman or congresswoman and demand modern copyright law that favors the consumer.

[abc @ May 2nd 2007 12:06AM]

09F911029D74E35BD84156C5635688C0

[tiuk @ May 2nd 2007 12:17AM]

Yup, proud to be Canadian.

[Jason Brown @ May 2nd 2007 12:35AM]

The Canadian government does not believe downloading is piracy. pirating by definition is the actual theft and uploading of material. This is why the piracy warning was changed/removed in all Canadian theaters as it was not the official position of out government. As to why we are critical of the US government even after "letting us off" is because they still regard us as #2 ranked pirates!

The actual people guilty of piracy is the production execs who send out dvd quality screeners to every joe blow who says he is a movie critic. Oh and the little chinese guy with the webcam! can't forget him!

[Jonathan @ May 2nd 2007 12:49AM]

I'm proud to be a canadian pirate! ARRRRrrrrr

[san chez @ May 2nd 2007 1:00AM]

09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0

[RickO @ May 2nd 2007 8:19AM]

09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0

Someone registered that domain name I see.


Anyway..yes Canada believes in fair use of our own stuff. If you download anything legally from iTunes you can only play it on Apple equipment...which is a total crock. Of course you can get a copy of Tunebite and strip the DRM off.
But junk like this ( and really crappy CD"s with one decent song and the rest filler) is not helping the business.
Since we pay extra tax on blank CD's and the cash goes to artists, I don't feel bad at all about using Limewire.

[orange.micro @ May 2nd 2007 1:44AM]

Not only did the headline make me laugh but grouping Canada with the likes of China and Russia is absolutely classic. AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

[julian @ May 2nd 2007 2:26AM]

it's ridiculous to group China with the likes of Canada and Russia. as a matter of fact, China has prepaid the copyright charges by sharing its proprietaries with the whole world for free during the past thousands of years...

[Brian @ May 2nd 2007 2:02AM]

Before the US points their fingers at Canada for supposed failure to act on copywrite laws, they should perhaps look at their own history of not paying UN dues, ignoring WTO rulings and industry subsidization which impoverishes entire countries. And please do not get me started on oil. Weapons of what destruction now? Especially when George W veto'd the end of war bill today.

[whomped @ May 2nd 2007 2:10AM]

09 F9 11 02 9d 74 E3 5b D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
09 F9 11 02 9d 74 E3 5b D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
09 F9 11 02 9d 74 E3 5b D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
09 F9 11 02 9d 74 E3 5b D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
09 F9 11 02 9d 74 E3 5b D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
09 F9 11 02 9d 74 E3 5b D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
09 F9 11 02 9d 74 E3 5b D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
09 F9 11 02 9d 74 E3 5b D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0

[fearless_fx @ May 2nd 2007 2:43AM]

F*CK the RIAA, MPAA and IIPA... and pretty much every other organization with 4 capital letters ending in an 'A'. That includes PETA.

[Bigsby @ May 2nd 2007 2:49AM]

I'm basically just like ScaryFast, except with a touch more pirating, especially if it's for something like partition magic, which I will only ever use once, and less Vista.

On another note, My new favourite Hex number is 09f911029d74e35bd84156c5635688c0

[Jeff Lewis @ May 2nd 2007 4:41AM]

Just to clarify a few things..

1) The Digital Media Copyright Levy does not apply to DVD blanks, nor does it apply to hard drives.

2) It does, however, apply to music CDs. In exchange for the levy, we got Bill C-43 section 68 and 80, which makes completely legal the copying of any audio CD - even if you do not own it.

3) Bill C-42 section 42 clearly defines what kinds of copying of copyrighted works are NOT illegal: specifically, when a work is copies and theres is (a) no FINANCIAL gain (very important that), and (b) the value of the original work is not diminshed signficantly (which, by the way, is why *uploading* is illegal while downloading is not).

Most Americans don't know that there's almost exactly the same clauses in the US Copyright Act - Title 15, section 506.

4) Piracy in almost any use refers not simply to the taking of property (we have a word for that - 'Theft') but rather the taking of property with intent to resell. People who copy DVDs and sell them are pirates. People who copy DVDs for personal use are not. In Canada, People who copy CDs or DVDs for personal use aren't even criminals.

5) The Liberal government's Copyright Board has long leaned towards the citizen over business. There's good reason Harper's pro-business, pro-America stance would encourage him to change this - fortunately, we have a minority government at the moment.

For our two-party American friends - Canada has many political parties - currently four hold nearly all of the seats. We don't have a position equivalent to the President - the Prime Minister is the closest position, but it's not specifically elected. The PM is the leader of the party with the most seats. Other than that, he's just another MP. For example - we don't need impeachment laws... and if he loses the position of leader of the majority party, he would cease to be PM.

Currently, no one party has more seats than all the other parties combined, so the Conservatives, who have the most seats are the official government, if they try to table a bill that's unpopular, the other parties can vote together against it and the bill dies. That means that all of the parties have to cooperate with each other and play nicely.

6) It's "copyright" as in "the right to copy" not "copywrite" which is someone who writes copy for advertisements.

7) Contrary to what a lot of people seem to think, copyrights were never intended to be an absolute protection. They were intended to give creators a monopoly in order to give them a way to live and of limited duration and scope to encourage them to make new works.

Unfortunately, the creators have come to assume they have unlimited rights and that the world owes them such.

Fortunately, so far, the Copyright Board of Canada disagrees.

Go us. :)

Oh.. and Remember the "09 F9 11 02 9d 74 E3 5b D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0"

[Fuzz @ May 2nd 2007 9:00AM]

@ Danny

Ya, things are getting worse with Harper. At least Cretien(who I really detested) had the balls to stand up to GW and tell him where to go when he wanted us to join the "coalition of the willing". With us or against us? How 'bout neither, we won't play your stinkin' game. Unfortunately Harper is a giant douche.

[Jonathan Millar @ May 2nd 2007 9:00AM]

For god sake, Just give me us a good reason to buy it, instead of just trying to arrest us!

I like apples strategy of making their new OS NOT cost $500.00 to upgrade to.

[Penguin Warlord @ May 2nd 2007 9:34AM]

Karen

You are what is wrong with Canada and most places for that matter. You are a selfish Conservative who does not believe that everyone deserves equal treatment.

Instead of thinking about yourself why don't you think about that newly immigrated family that lives in the part of town that you won't go to. The dad has a PhD but it isn't recognized here so both he and his wife are working three jobs just to put food on the table for their children. Now what happens if one of them gets sick? Well if they live in the states the family either goes broke and becomes homeless trying to pay for treatment or that person dies. If they live in Canada they just pop on over to the nearest hospital, get free treatment and continue their lives as usual.

So the next time you feel like posting something that's that selfish why don't you stop and think about what we teach are children everyday, - sharing.

[Fuzz @ May 2nd 2007 10:13AM]

What do you mean? Conservatives canceled the income tax reduction that the Liberals put in place. All the economists agree that the Liberal tax cut gave more money back than the GST cut. I once thought the liberals were the worst thing to happen to Canada, but once Harper got in, I knew I was way off. His conservative, Bush loving policies are screwing us, destroying our world image and costing us money. All he does is throw money at Quebec and anyone else he can buy votes from in Ontario, while screwing over the rest of the country because he knows there aren't enough votes anywhere else to matter. He sucks. Period.

[Ron Larson @ May 2nd 2007 9:13AM]

Thank God for our krazy kanuk neighbors! I love how you guys managed to drive DirectTV nuts.

(1) DirectTV is not allowed to be sold in Canada (I don't know why... but that is besides the point).
(2) Some smart Canadians started selling "blue cards" to Americans via mail. The blue cards allowed Americans to receive DirectTV without a subscription.
(3) DirectTV goes ape s**t and demands that the Canadian blue card vendors be prosecuted for theft of services.
(4) Canadian court rules that since DirectTV can not be had in Canada, owning a blue card can not be illegal.
(5) DirectTV send home to go pound sand.