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Monday, May 01, 2006

exposed copyright

Steven Page, of the Barenaked Ladies, writes in the Post for a collection of Canadian musical artists called the "Canadian Music Creators Coalition". For, well, obvious reasons, the Post decided not to put this article behind their gate. The group seems to have been formed to fight the music industry's desire to not allow me to play music from puretracks.com on my iPod.

First, we believe that suing our fans is destructive and hypocritical. We do not want to sue music fans, and we do not want to distort the law to coerce fans into conforming to a rigid digital market artificially constructed by the major labels.

Yep, I'm with the Barenaked Lady.

Second, we believe that the use of digital locks, frequently referred to as technological protection measures, are risky and counterproductive. We do not support using digital locks to increase the labels' control over the distribution, use and enjoyment of music, nor do we support laws that prohibit circumvention of such technological measures, including Canadian accession to the World Intellectual Property Organization's Internet Treaties. These treaties are designed to give control to major labels and take choices away from artists and consumers. Laws should protect artists and consumers, not restrictive technologies.

Again, I'm with you, Steven. Heck, if I had a million dollars for every time I whined about DRM, I'd be rich.

Third, we strongly believe that cultural policy should support actual Canadian artists. We call on the Canadian government to firmly commit to programs that support Canadian music talent. The government should make a long-term commitment to grow support mechanisms such as the Canada Music Fund and FACTOR, invest in music training and education, create limited tax shelters for copyright royalties, protect artists from inequalities in bargaining power and make collecting societies more transparent.

Steven, I was on board. Now, I'm jumping off again. So after two points about consumer and artist freedom, your last point is about government coercion to have others pay for your art. You want the guy standing next to you at Timmie's with two kids to pay for One Week. No, Steven, you owe us money for subjecting us to an overload of CanCon and way too much of that song.

Two out of three ain't bad.

From boonbloggle.com.

Posted by Peter_Jay on May 1, 2006 in Canadian Politics, Music | Permalink

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Comments

Good points, especially the third.

And from today's Post letters to the editor:

"....Where were these intellectual social icons when the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was being enshrined and these very property rights were specifically excluded?..."
http://tinyurl.com/qcxkg (registration req'd)


Posted by: JR | 2006-05-02 12:12:31 PM



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