DancingSamurai.ca

In response to the upcoming Copyright Legislation (coverage here, here, and here), I have written the following letter to my MP. Please feel free to use parts of it freely should you wish to write your own (which I highly recommend if you believe in a Fair Copyright Law for Canada). I myself stole parts/inspiration from a few sources. Michael Geist has some other suggestions for what actions you can take.

*Address*

Dear Mr. *MP*,

My name is *****. I am a physician, an educator, a blogger, a technology aficionado, a consumer, and your constituent. In all of these roles, I am extremely concerned about the new Copyright Bill to be introduced shortly by the Conservative Government. While we will not know the exact wording of the bill until it is tabled, the government has indicated that it plans on ratifying the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Internet Treaties.

The 1996 WIPO Internet Treaties were authored at a time when some people saw new communications technology as a threat. The treaties were premised on the idea that if new technology can be abused to infringe copyright, then private citizens should not be allowed to own or control these technologies. I strongly disagree with this idea, and believe that we should all have our right to own and control communications technology protected in law. On this basis alone I believe Canada should not ratify these treaties.

Today, the vast explosion of blogs and amateur videos on sites like YouTube attests to the growing number of average people who are becoming creators and many more who access culture and information through technology. When I write a blog post or prepare a presentation for medical students, I may excerpt a picture or video clip from another source to highlight my point. At home, I may copy a legally-purchased CD or DVD to my iPod or laptop computer to enjoy at a time and place convenient to me. Such use is currently permitted under law by fair dealing and made possible by open technologies.

These freedoms of expression and innovation are threatened by WIPO anti-circumvention clauses, which would take these rights and make them legally exercisable only at the whims of (primarily foreign) media corporations. As the US experience over the last 9 years shows, this cost would come at no benefit – it would do nothing to stem ‘piracy’ or protect creators. Such a law would chill speech and scientific research, jeopardize fair use, impede competition and innovation, and interfere with security . In so doing, it would also criminalize the behaviour of ordinary, productive, and otherwise law-abiding Canadians, opening them to severe financial penalties far in excess of the harm, if any, they cause.

The upcoming copyright act is expected to be far more complex than the WIPO treaties. Given that Copyright law now regulates the activities of all Canadians, shouldn’t government be introducing laws which simplify copyright, rather than omnibus bills that nobody can possibly understand the impacts of?

Finally, I am appalled by Minister Jim Prentice’s recent refusal to answer the public’s questions about this controversial legislation . As our elected representative, it is his duty to address our concerns about a bill he is introducing in all Canadians’ names. Where is the increased transparency and accountability your party promised just a short while ago? I ask you to advocate on the behalf of all your constituents and demand clarity on this subject from Minister Prentice.

Thank you in advance for bringing my concerns to Parliament, and especially to Ministers Josee Verner and Jim Prentice.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this matter in further detail, please do not hesitate to contact me.

** DancingSamurai **

Possibly related posts:

1. Response from Turner’s Office
2. Write to your MP about C-61
3. Copyright Consultation
4. Copyright News
5. Prentice on Search Engine