Commission on Intellectual Property Rights - Final Report, Section 92 review, Innovation Strategy

[Russell McOrmond]

(Copy to my MP - Mauril Bélanger, the Minister of Industry - Allan Rock,
and other concerned citizens part of the digital-copyright.ca forum)


Dear IPPD,


  With the section 92 review of the Copyright Act coming up soon, I am
wishing to ensure that IPPD is aware of and is reviewing the Final Report
of the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights.

http://www.iprcommission.org/
  Also linked from:
http://weblog.flora.ca/article.php3?story_id=246

  Link for Section 92 review:
  http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/C-42/36498.html#section-92



  One of the challenges that IPPD has is to ensure that it is not assumed
that Intellectual Property benefits everyone, including all creators of
works under Intellectual Property protection.

In the FORWARD of this report, it says:

    Perhaps there is something about the era we live in that has
    encouraged blind adherence to dogma.  This has affected many walks of
    life. It certainly has affected the whole area of intellectual
    property rights.  On the one side, the developed world side, there
    exists a powerful lobby of those who believe that all IPRs are good
    for business, benefit the public at large and act as catalysts for
    technical progress. They believe and argue that, if IPRs are good,
    more IPRs must be better.


  This report goes into considerable detail about the complexities of
Intellectual Property, and the areas where strengthening Intellectual
Property can actually harm development and innovation.

  My own submission to the Innovation Strategy tried to make the case as a
creator who believes that certain forms of Intellectual Property such as
copyright on software interfaces, or patents on software or business
models, actually harms innovation.

  While I have a personal interest and experience with copyright and
patents in the context of Free Software, I also have a considerable
interest in implications for international development and health.


  I hope to see the IPPD and the Competition Bureau take on a very active
roll in the Innovation Agenda.  The public policy which IPPD is in charge
of is extremely critical to innovation, and the affects of these policies
on innovation - both positive and negative - need to be researched and
understood in detail.


  I look forward to working more with IPPD on these issues.  I can offer
myself to help with this policy either as a concerned citizen and/or as an
Open Source consultant.  My full contact information can be found on my
work website http://www.flora.ca/


  Thank you for reading.

---
 Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/>
 See http://weblog.flora.ca/ for announcements, activities, and opinions
 Submission to Innovation Strategy         | No2Violence in Politics
 http://www.flora.ca/innovation-2002.shtml | http://www.no-dot.ca/

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