Bill C-61.
The very name should send chills down your spine.
On the surface, it is a Bill designed to crack down on illegal downloading and protect copyrights. Sounds great, especially to someone like me, who as a writer, fears copyright infringement over my published online works on a daily basis.
But, like the old cliche says, you can't judge a book by the cover. What this Bill is really designed to do is give the government the ability to look into your computer, your homes, your personal lives, whenever they feel you might be 'infringing' on this law, in order to ensure that you are not breaking it.
What this law consists of is making it illegal to do anything with your purchased media other than use it exactly as it is.
Got CD's or DVD's from another country that won't play in your DVD/CD player? Too bad. Buy a new one. If you have a read all version, or you make a copy to play in compatibility with your player, you could be slapped with a 20,000$ fine.
Like to put your cd's on your iPod so you don't have to carry around a giant portable player and a case of cd's all the time? You better be REBUYING each and every song off iTunes first, because using the music YOU purchased to put it on your iPod will be illegal.
Travelling business person? Unlocked your cellphone so that you only have to switch a SIM card when abroad so that your phone will still work? Watch out, you get caught and you are now a criminal. You better be prepared to buy a new cell phone for every country you visit, so that you won't have our government breathing down your neck. That's right folks, unlocking your OWN property makes you a criminal.
Had issues where DVD's and CD's were stolen in the past, so you back them up on your PC or by making copies to keep in storage in your own home? Better have your fine money handy, or be ready to go to jail.
Indie/New Music artist wanting to get your start by using MySpace or Facebook to let people hear your music and find out what you're all about? Be careful, because those very fans your trying to attract could go to jail for downloading the music you put up for them to have.
The list goes on an on, but it all says the same thing. This Bill will take away our rights as a consumer, and give all the power to corporations and the government. Think this is an overreaction, that the government would never really do this? The intensity of protests being sparked up all across this nation says otherwise.
I agree that there needs to be stricter copyright laws, there's no doubt about that. But the laws need to affect those those enabling ILLEGAL downloads, the software companies that provide the means to get it, not the citizens, and not taking away a citizen's right as a consumer either.
More and more Canadians are joining the fight against this Bill. It was shut down once, back in December, due to protests raised by University of Ottawa Professor Michael Geist, through a facebook group that stands against this bill. The group reached 20,000 members in only a short time. It is still there today, raising awareness of this Bill and urging Canadians to take a stand.
For clarification on just what exactly this Bill will do to Canadians, visit HERE.
To read articles on this Bill, visit cbc.ca
I urge everyone to checkout both the facebook group, entitled Fair Copyright for Canada or visit the website at http://www.faircopyrightforcanada.ca/
Other things you can do are e-mail or write to your local government representatives, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the members introducing this Bill (Minister of Industry Jim Prentice and Minister of Heritage Josee Verner), and join the local branches of Fair Copyright for Canada to see what is going on in your area.
