Mr. Prentice spends a great deal of time trying to convince the press that bill C-61 will limit damages to $500 total for a violation of this new act.
What, then, is the point? If a user downloads 20 or 30 films or 10,000 songs that’s $500 spread between the ALL of the artists – not quite worth it, is it?
In relation to digital locks Prentice refused to acknowledge or answer any questions. He did not seem to care that Canadians have paid for material that may be locked and would be prohibited from using that media in any way other than the methods prescribed to users by the media industries.
Josee Verner inspires a complete lack of confidence. When asked about a mashup of music (a teenager – or anyone for that matter – remixing video and music to create something new with existing work – something that is legal right now if attribution is given and the mashup is not created for profit) Josee was unable to either comprehend or answer the question. The answer is that yes, posting a mashup video to YouTube will now be illegal and could run Canadians $500 per offence. Imagine that – post a video to YouTube, get a bill for $500.
Josee went on to talk about respecting digital locks – completely ignoring the fact the government is ignoring that users have PAID FOR the material that is locked.
Jim acknowledges that the industry will indeed be pursuing teenagers for $20,000 per offense. He keeps saying balance – that balance doesn’t exist to my eyes.
