Canada: "Copyright Bill Hits the Home Stretch"

From The Toronto Star:

“The Canadian Independent Music Association is seeking changes that would create new liability risks for social networking sites, search engines, blogging platforms, video sites, and many other websites featuring third party contributions. It is also calling for a new iPod tax, an extension in the term of copyright, a removal of protections for user generated content, parody, and satire, as well as an unlimited statutory damage awards and a content takedown system with no court oversight.”
“Quebec music groups have asked the government to add a requirement for Internet providers to disclose customer name and address information to copyright owners without court oversight, a change that even Conservative MPs noted look a lot like the widely criticized lawful access legislation.”
“The Canadian Music Publishers Association added to the demand list by calling for website blocking provisions, arguing that Internet providers take an active role in shaping the Internet traffic on their systems and therefore should face “a positive obligation for service providers to prevent the use of their services to infringe copyright by offshore sites.” Meanwhile, writers and publisher groups asked the committee to overturn the Supreme Court of Canada and its test to determine whether the use of work qualifies as fair dealing.”

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Filed under: Awards, Companies (Publishers/Vendors), News, Publishing