Format shifting, low damages put Canada on IP watch list - 0 views
arstechnica.com/...behind-on-online-copyright.ars
Software Acquisition Copyright Infringement Digital Piracy
shared by Jeffrey Kendall on 20 Feb 10
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Jeffrey Kendall on 20 Feb 10DRM as listed by Wikipedia: Digital rights management (DRM) is a generic term for access control technologies that can be used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals to try to impose limitations on the usage of digital content and devices. It is also, sometimes, disparagingly described as Digital Restrictions Management. The term is used to describe any technology which inhibits uses (legitimate or otherwise) of digital content that were not desired or foreseen by the content provider. The term generally doesn't refer to other forms of copy protection which can be circumvented without modifying the file or device, such as serial numbers or keyfiles. It can also refer to restrictions associated with specific instances of digital works or devices.
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The Great White North is "fast gaining a reputation as a haven where technologically sophisticated international piracy organizations can operate with virtual impunity." The country is "virtually alone" in flouting "minimum world standards" for copyright and its rules are "hopelessly outdated." Finally, "no other country is farther behind the curve in combating copyright infringement in cyberspace."
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It is not at all clear that this is actually the legal position in Canada; back in 2004, judge Konrad von Finckenstein ruled that "the downloading of a song for a person's private use does not constitute infringement." (von Finkenstein is now Canada's top telecoms regulator; his ruling was changed on appeal, though the issue remains murky.)
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What really chaps the collective hide of the copyright groups is BitTorrent trackers, though, and the IIPA document refers multiple times to the fact that "4 of the top 10 illicit BitTorrent sites in the world" are in Canada.