Conservatives to Ignore the Canadian Copyright Consultation in Favour of DMCA?

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The Conservatives still appear to be steering Canada toward a DMCA-like future: one that enslaves our culture to a few controlling (mostly foreign) companies, stifles science and freedom of expression, and anchors Canada’s economy to the digital dark age rather than propelling it toward what could be an incredibly innovative and lucrative future on the world stage. I’ll recount some of the issues, then ... continue reading

Secret Copyright Negotiations Disregard Canadian Consultation

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Because of recent leaks, the public has learned that the minority Conservative government is engaged in at least two sets of secret negotiations to bring forward new copyright and “intellectual property” regulations without the consent of Canadians. The Conservatives got their first two attempts at copyright change wrong. Later, the government set up a consultation with the Canadian public. The consu ... continue reading

Rip Movie

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Just saw the film, Rip, last weekend. The movie explores most of the present day struggles with copyright and notions of ownership of “intellectual property.” I thought it was interesting in how it presented a US government decision in the 90s (through interviews with those responsible) to definitively shift its economy from a manufacturing oriented one, to a more pure idea trade, in which ideas are pro ... continue reading

Motivating Anti-IP Activism in Canada

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In the scheme of things, few people have the interest (or is it patience?) to delve deeply into the concept of “intellectual property” (IP). I think that is why IP regulation is among the most under-considered issues in public political discourse today. It’s difficult, in the snap of a soundbite, to make an easily understood and appropriately deep point regarding IP. Recently, I sent a couple Cana ... continue reading

Diatribe on Digital Culture, Freedom, and Mistaken Fields of Invisible Stuff

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Incredulous–that is the only word for the situation unfolding itself. From practically any news source on any given day, a person can find a story about people being prosecuted for their dealings with artefacts of our own shared culture. They are prosecuted through laws which are perverted by or erected by business entities. In every instance the prosecuting groups make some headway toward bottleing-up our mu ... continue reading

Phy-d’eau – License of Intention for Liberty in Expression and Creativity

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A license designed to promote a continuing culture of free thinking and creative expression. It addresses human expression, largely through art practices, and applies specifically to the works produced by such practices. Note: After I saw the need and decided to write this in 2002, other licenses have emerged that enable a similar thing. I’m leaving this license online for the sake of anyone interested but I ... continue reading