[d@DCC] Junos always an interesting time to watch politics...

[Russell McOrmond]

Replying to: 
http://www.canada.com/topics/entertainment/story.html?id=3ca1ff8e-31d8-4c46-a88d-f817ebb094bf&k=73376


   On April 4, 2003, I was one of 20 Canadian creators who participated 
in the Minister's Forum on Copyright that coincided with the Junos that 
year.  I was there as a software author and computer security and 
Internet consultant, offering some insight into proposals that would 
help Canadian software and other authors.

http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/ac-ca/progs/pda-cpb/forum/index_e.cfm

   I warned about the harm that would come to Canadian creators from the 
proposals brought forward by the incumbent recording industry.  The 
proposals were not seeking to protect Canadian culture or creativity, 
but to protect existing business models and distribution channels from 
the inevitable changes that comes with progress.

   It is now 3 years later and even with a change of government I have 
not seen indications that government understanding of these issues has 
progressed.

   If we are to have a future for Canadian creativity we need to start 
by recognizing that creativity and innovation and linked, and that both 
involve constant change and improvement.   This means that there *must* 
be changes in the way we do things, as this change is in fact how we 
measure progress.

   What the recording industry is asking for is no different than what 
the incumbents have always asked for.  Songwriters wanted the right to 
control and disallow recordings of their work as they believed there was 
no business model in recordings that would support them.  Governments 
legalized this recording by taking away the ability of songwriters to 
control their works, offering songwriters a government-set payment for 
recordings or public performances.  Then along came radio broadcasting 
which removed control of these recordings, then came cable that took 
away the control of broadcasters, and then came VCR's which took away 
the control of cable companies, and so-on.

   Each time there has been a new technology that has created new 
methods of production, distribution and/or funding, copyright has been 
balanced not by extending the control of the existing industries, but by 
putting additional limits on them to allow progress.

   Why should the current change that is happening to the recording 
industry be allowed to be any different?  Have we not learned anything 
from history, or is the government so intimidated by the Internet and 
digital technology that they want to ignore history?

-- 
  Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/>
  2415+ Canadians oppose Bill C-60 which protects antiquated Recording,
  Movie and "software manufacturing" industries from modernization.
  http://KillBillC60.ca    Sign--> http://digital-copyright.ca/petition/