[d at DCC] Question to local MP Randy Kamp and other candidates in Maple Ridge, BC

[Richard Pitt]

I've been given the opportunity to craft a question to the candidates
here in Maple Ridge by one of the local news columnists.

I've been perusing all of you comments/questions and have excerpted some
of them to her (I'll post the whole thing in my blog.pacdat.net area
shortly) and I thank you all for your thoughts.

Here's my question - drawing on the comments to include background, keep
to a single point, and keep it (relatively) short. (I've broken it up to
emphasize how it is to be read as these will be read to the candidates)

"In light of Heritage Canada's proposals (Bills C60 and C61 in the
previous two parliamentary sessions respectively) to implement US-like
copyright law similar to the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, a law
which has undergone extensive court challenges and revision since it was
instituted by the way; 

and to allegedly uphold our commitment to the 1996 World Intellectual
Property Organization copyright treaty to which we are signatories but
which we have never ratified; 

do you agree that Canada should also have a FAIR USE clause similar to
that in the US law implemented; as separate from the current FAIR
DEALING; 

such FAIR USE to balance the rights of Canadian Citizens in light of the
draconian demands of the music and software industry lobbyists for huge
fines for circumvention of Technical Protection Measures ($20,000 per
instance) such as "ripping" a DVD to their video iPOD, even though they
have bought and paid for the right to view it?"

Comments?

Thanks

richard


-- 
Richard C. Pitt                 Pacific Data Capture
rcpitt at pacdat.net               604-644-9265
http://blog.pacdat.net       www.pacdat.net
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