Copyright bill still in the works

Mike Lake recently commented on copyright legislation. Nothing particularly earth shattering but at least local MPs have not forgotten about the issues. It would have been nice if someone had the chance to speak to Mike Lake from the consumer standpoint instead of just the ESA. I know I attempted to get a meeting.

In case you missed the news the CRTC Online Consultation on Net Neutrality is closing soon. If you have not checked it out I recommend you do while there is still time.

Richard Stallman

I recently went to a presentation held at the University of Alberta. There is a short write up of the talk here and here is a much more detailed write up on the presentation from 2 years ago.

Overall I found the presentation informative... but I did not see any suggested actions that would be useful for those who are upset by the way copyright law is going and want to do something about it. Besides Stallman's suggestion of boycotting products which are unlikely to be boycotted and a generic go to protests message I found the presentation lacking in the crucial area of activism.

It’s about our digital future

Most people know my talking points against bill C-61 and by extension future legislation. It has become quite routine to be able to discusses what I would like to see and what I would not like to see. A harder question to answer is what am I fighting for?

I have recently been reading The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It by Jonathan Zittrain. If any book is able to explain why I am not just fighting against poor copyright legislation but fighting for a digital future it is that book. I many not fully agree with some of the solutions Jonathan Zittrain proposes in the book or the some of predictions he makes but it gets the full scope of the problem.

So, for those of you who wondered what sparked my interest in copyright law I now only have to point to that book. The book gets a bit loaded with heavy concepts in the end but it is worth the effort and I recommend reading it.

Tim Uppal

I have not met Tim Uppal; however, a member of the Edmonton chapter has. Nothing quite like seeing a MP in person while he is campaigning to ask for a meeting.

I honestly do not have anything detailed to talk about besides that he had a meeting specifically on copyright law. It is one step closer towards my lofty goal which is to know that every Edmonton MP understands the pitfalls of excessive copyright. In some respects you wouldn't think it would be that challenging of a goal...