Urgent: Canadian DMCA To Become Law

On September 29th, 2011 the Government reintroduced the Copyright Modernization Act, Bill C-11 (previously Bill C-32). The Government which now holds a majority seems poised to expedite the passage of this legislation into Canadian law by taking actions to limit debate and engage in only hasty committee hearings.

It is essential that your Member of Parliament hear from you on this topic and it is to this effect that the CCER has updated its online letter writing tool. This could be your last chance to speak out on this issue so it is imperative that you send a letter to Ottawa today even if you have spoken out in the past.



Although Bill C-11 appears to be more flexible than the previous attempts at copyright reform, this bill is flawed to its core by the inclusion of strict, anti-circumvention provisions. Understandably Canadians are concerned at how easily their rights are trumped by the overriding protection for digital locks included in this legislation.

Bill C-11 includes provisions to address consumer activities such as format and time shifting, however these are all subject to digital locks. For example, consumers will now be permitted expressly by law to rip tracks from a CD into an MP3 and then transfer it their iPod or to make a backup copy of digital content to protect against loss or damage. However it would be illegal for a Canadian to transfer a legally obtained DVD movie onto their iPad for later viewing since all commercially available DVD movies employ digital locks and circumventing these locks is prohibited under Bill C-11. It is precisely this blanket protection for digital locks that overrides the rights of Canadian consumers and creators, including any newly granted rights provided by Bill C-11.

The Ministers responsible for this portfolio and your Member of Parliament need to know where you stand on the issue regardless of your views and even if you have already told them before. It is essential that Canadians speak up with their concerns about Bill C-11 while it is still open to amendments. Send your letter now and share this tool with your friends, family and co-workers while we have the opportunity.


http://www.ccer.ca/speakout/