Digital Copyright Canada

Liberal MP Marc Garneau (Westmount—Ville-Marie, critic for Industry, Science & Technology), has participated in a Q&A with SaveOutNet.ca. While the responses are interesting, I would like to compare with what would be said by Dan McTeague (Pickering—Scarborough East, critic for Consular Affairs, Consumer Affairs) who has expressed quite different opinions on digital strategy issues. I wouldn't be surprised to hear McTeague supporting both 3-strikes and the Google Tax.

Michael Geist reports on some lobbying being done to water down an anti-SPAM bill.

At yesterday's hearing, it was discouraging to see lobbyists for Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Canadian Intellectual Property Council huddling with Liberal MPs before the start of the hearing. It was even more incredible to see lobbyists for the Canadian Real Estate Association draft a series of questions about the bill, hand them to a Bloc MP, and have them posed to the witnesses moments later.
...
Consider writing to your MP or the members of the Industry Committee today asking them to support C-27 with an opt-in approach.

I recommend writing to your MP, asking them to forward the letter to committee members. This may increase the impact.

Update: The Copyright Lobby's Secret Pressure On the Anti-Spam Bill, which is referenced via BoingBoing.

Longtime Liberal MP Denis Coderre is resigning as the party's Quebec lieutenant and defence critic. (CBC, CTV)

I have been asked a few times what the impact on copyright is of the current political turmoil. The general feeling is that even before the current situation, the economic crisis would already have pushed issues like copyright to the back burner of any party. It has been stated by much better political observers than I am that, even while mentioned in the recent throne speech and in the Conservative party platform, that copyright won't show up any time soon.

CBC's Peter Nowak interviews Liberal Scott Brison, incumbent MP for Kings-Hants in Nova Scotia. Brison is now the industry critic, the Liberals' counterpoint to Minister of Industry Jim Prentice.

The by-elections are now being extended into a general election. As of the dissolving of this parliament the seat standing was as follows:

Conservatives 127
Liberal 95
Bloc 48
NDP 30
Green 1
Independent 3
Vacant 4.

Hugh McGuire interviewed Liberal Candidate Marc Garneau in the Wesmount-Ville Marie by-election. The statement seems to be similar to other Liberals, which is that they don't like C-61 or the way it was brought forward without consultations, but refuse to offer any starting point for where they will go with this policy in the future.

I sometimes find peoples ideas about trademark law to be silly. The original point of trademark law was a form of consumer protection so that there would be less confusion in the marketplace, and that a mark used in trade could inform consumers about the origins and history of the producer.

I see no way there could be confusion in the "marketplace" between The Green Shift political campaign from the Liberal party of Canada, and the Green Shift company in Toronto, and yet according to a Globe and Mail article the owner of the company is threatening to sue.

A Reuters article has an intereting quote.

The Opposition Liberal party slammed the legislation as a half-baked measure that neglected consulting all sides.

"How are you going to enforce this when existing jurisprudence doesn't allow you to walk into someone's home?" asked Liberal Dan McTeague.

I think it is harmful for the Liberals to have their most out-of-touch MP being thought of as their spokesperson on this issue. He title may be "Consumer affairs critic", but he seems to spend most of his time being critical of the legitimate affairs of consumers.

Gordon Duggan at Appropriation Art has published a comic (PDF) about Canadian Copyright revision. It is a classic battle of good vs. evil of comic proportions where the "Evil Emissaries of American Interests try to suppress the Fantastic Freedom of Expression Fighters".

The cast of characters is somehow familiar.

Evil Emissaries (Or just misinformed?): Harper, Bush, Prentice, Henderson, McTeague, Wilkins, Feinstein / Cronyn, Schwarzenegger, Glickman, Frith, Oda

Fantastic Freedom Fighters: Angus, Doctorow, Geist, Knopf, Murray, Page, McOrmond