I am SHOCKED by the bill that might be passed by the Canadian goverment. I am speechless and will quote from GBAtemp to give you guys the horrifying news.
A little over one year ago I came to you with an urgent message regarding Canadian copyright reform. I implored your assistance in an issue that would affect the digital way of life of all, Canadians and non-Canadians alike.
Through word of mouth, the efforts of the GBAtemp.net community, the Canadian Coalition for Electronic Rights, as well as Canadian citizens and internet users everywhere we were able to make a difference.
With no less than 50,000 topic views, 245 accumulative topic replies, nearly 2600 diggs, 365 digg discussions, and over 20,000 letter submissions via the CCER website which were then physically mailed to each minister. Over one-hundred thousand were sent in total. It is because of the monumental level of support given that we were able to accomplish that, allowing for the situation to be postponed and re-approached.
Your actions were in fact so impactful that the government of Canada has opened up the debate to the public; consumers and creators alike. They want to hear your opinions on the issues at hand so that the interests of all Canadians can be taken into account. However, public consultations are not usually done in the summer months, so speculation suggests that the government is trying to fast-track the bill with minimal resistance to make it law by Christmas of this year.
Until September 13, 2009, you can do your part by participating in the ongoing copyright consultations across the country by visiting www.copyrightconsultation.ca and registering for upcoming live townhall meetings and webcasts, or via e-mail submissions.
As a consumer of digital media and electronics, Canadian or otherwise, you stand to be greatly impacted by changes to Canada’s copyright regime. If we do not voice our concerns we run the risk of having a backwards and unnecessarily extreme system of copyright law imposed upon us. Imagine living in a country where corporations and US lobby groups dictate how you consume information, media and utilize technology.
This reality would make owning, purchasing or operating devices such as flashcarts, modchips, and so on entirely illegal; even in the context of homebrew applications for private use. Fine upstanding businesses such as Canadian GBAtemp affiliates KickGaming, ConsoleSource, and electrobee would be hurt as well by such legislation. Not only limiting them, but we the consumer as well.
Please spread the word, everybody. Signing out
