Archived - Heffel, Rory

Hello,

I am a Canadian citizen that is concerned the government is trying to do what is good for businesses, but not for the majority of its citizens. If this matter was put to vote or made an election issue, I am confident Canadians would not vote in favour of limiting their freedom to share media on the internet. Restricting Canadians from sharing copyrighted works will not improve the economy. Businesses adjust and evolve around laws that benefit the majority of Canadians.

Onto the questions:

1. Canada's copyright laws affect me in that I am a consumer of copyrighted works. Existing laws should be modernized in a way that provides benefit to the majority of citizens. Businesses, especially those owned by those in other countries, do not represent the majority of Canadians, they represent a select few owners of that business.
2. Copyright laws should be changed to encourage sharing of information among citizens for their enjoyment and education. Creators of copyrighted works will not suffer from more people being able to access their works. Restricting the free sharing of this content on the internet will not benefit the majority of Canadians, and saying that it will improve the economy is just trying to justify supporting existing business that do not want to adapt.
3. I believe those who purchase a copyrighted work should be able to copy or download that work in any form of media without restriction as long as it is for personal use. Even if this means circumventing some lock or encryption on that media format. Having to purchase different formats of copyrighted works does not benefit the majority of Canadians. Example: If I own a song on a vinyl record, cd, or cassette tape, I should be able to download that song from the internet for free so that I can listen to it on my mp3 player, or whatever media player exists in 10 years.
   
   I also believe that if I missed a show on television, I should be able to record it in any format. If I was unable to record it I should be able to download that television show and watch it. The majority of Canadians will not benefit from having to pay each time they watch a television show.
4. There is very little Canadian media content available on the internet. To say that the free sharing of media on the internet has hurt Canadian media creators is false, because their content is relatively unavailable when compared to the content of other nations. Canadian content would be more popular if it was easier to download and share it freely. Restricting internet freedoms will not benefit Canadian songwriters or filmakers.
5. Allowing Canadians to share digital content freely will best position Canada as a leader in the global economy. The world is changing and businesses will adapt to the way Canadians are already sharing copyrighted information. Those in favour of restricting the free sharing of copyrighted information are those looking to profit from limited Canadians enjoyment of this material.

The questions asked in this consultation are weighted to favour industry. This is not a democratic consultation. This issue affects all Canadians, and should be made an election issue, not policy passed by political parties that have no mandate to do so.