US Pressuring Canada for More Copyright Reform

If there was any doubt that the copyright tune is being dictated by the lobbies within the United States, there shouldn't be.  The Americans, led by the RIAA and the MPAA, swing a very big stick.  And that swing extends beyond the borders of 'Murica.  

Michael Geist writes in today's Toronto Star:

More than ten years of contentious debate over Canadian copyright law appeared to come to a conclusion in late June when Bill C-11 passed its final legislative hurdle and received royal assent.

Yet despite characterizing the bill as a “vital building block,” the copyright lobby that pressured the government to impose restrictive rules on digital locks and tougher penalties for copyright infringement is already demanding further reforms that include rolling back many key aspects of the original bill.

Unlike the last round of copyright reform that featured national consultations and open committee hearings, this time the lobby groups are hoping to use secretive trade negotiations to forge legislative change. Later this week, the International Intellectual Property Alliance, an umbrella organization that represents movie, music, and software associations, will urge the U.S. government to pressure Canada to enact further reforms as part of the Trans Pacific Partnership trade negotiations.

I know, I know.  Copyright law can be as dry as dust.  But if you spend anytime online at all, you need to know about this stuff.  Read the rest of the article here--and prepare to get mad.