[MediaLevyObjectors] Blank media levy & CCFDA

[James Carruthers]

Tom,

The choice we face is not a Hobson's Choice between the levies or pervasive
opressive DRM.

The levies are as preposterous as levies on paper to compensate authors, or
levies on paint to compensate artists--how 'bout levies on junk to protect
artists who work with "found objects?"--or levies on digital media to
protect software, which actually does lose serious amounts of money to
"private coyping." We could have levies on everything to go to everyone.
Actually I think there's a word for that.... Anyhow, this is a subsidy to a
cartel trying to hold onto it's monopoly power, nothing else.

DRM/CPM is fine as long as it's not government-mandated. If you want to
shoot yourself in the head by making your product unusable, that's your
business--as the head of the Wayback Project says when someone asks to have
their copyrighted material removed:"Enjoy oblivion!"--in time you will learn
what the software industry learned in the 80's about treating your customers
like criminals.

We have no reason to accept the lesser of two evils, to give in to
blackmail. It's not as if we won't win, it's just a matter of how long it
will take.

Jim
----------------------------------------------------------------------
James Carruthers
Hydraulic Design
--3D Modeling and Design
--Rhinoceros 3D Sales and Training
http://www.hydraulicdesign.net
mailto:jim at hydraulicdesign.net
----------------------------------------------------------------------

> -----Original Message-----
> From: medialevyobjectors-bounces at lists.belcarra.com
> [mailto:medialevyobjectors-bounces at lists.belcarra.com]On Behalf Of tOM
> Trottier
> Sent: Wednesday, December 18, 2002 3:22 PM
> To: Copps.S at parl.gc.ca; Minister.industry at ic.gc.ca; jmanley at fin.gc.ca
> Cc: discuss at digital-copyright.ca; medialevyobjectors at lists.belcarra.com
> Subject: [MediaLevyObjectors] Blank media levy & CCFDA
>
>
> Sirs/Madame,
>
> I am one of the objectors before the Copyright Board. I think the CPCC (
> http://www.cb-cda.gc.ca/tariffs/proposed/c09032002-b.pdf ) blank
> media levy
> request is excessive (20-300% of value) and will only lead to US imports
> and lower levy amounts collected.
>
> But the CCFDA ( http://www.ccfda.ca/index_eng.html ) assertions
> are faulty.
> There should be a right to private copying as presently provided for. The
> CCFDA would remove this right, and:
> -   the right to play productions on different players, computers and
>     operating systems
> -   the right to backup material
> -   the right for material to pass into the public domain
>     - the right to study material and analyse it academically
> -   the right to use copyrighted material in parodies, reviews. and such,
>     known as "fair dealing"
> These rights would be removed by a régime of encryption and
> digital rights
> management which could only be maintained by invading one's privacy at
> home.
>
> The money from the levy also goes directly to Canadian creators, without
> percentages and contractural limits by publishers.
>
> So if you get some emails protesting the blank levy, tell them the
> alternative is worse, much worse.


--
For (un)subscription information, posting guidelines and
links to other related sites please see http://www.digital-copyright.ca