Jack Layton’s excellent response to my copyright concerns

Posted by ScruffyDan on December 14, 2007 at 5:22 pm | Comments (1) | Trackbacks (0)

I recently wrote emails to all party leaders, and appropriate ministers to express my concerns about the proposed copyright reform legislation. I got canned responses from almost everyone I emailed saying the appreciate my concerns, but not actually addressing them or making it clear where they stand on this important issue. The only politician that addressed my concerns was Jack Layton of the NDP. His response to my email is below (emphasis mine):

Subject: The NDP on Digital copyright
From: Jack Layton

Thank you for writing to express your views with respect to proposed changes to the copyright legislation.

First, it is difficult to speculate about what is or isn’t going to be in the legislation until the Harper government introduces the bill in parliament. They have had almost 2 full years to act on this matter. However, with electioneering being on top of the Conservative’s “to do” list, we are concerned that legislative plans may die if they manage to succeed at bringing the House down.

The truth is copyright is always a difficult balancing act between the fair use of the consumer and fair remuneration for artists. What has made the issue more difficult is the explosive growth of digital technologies in recent years.

In attempting to update copyright legislation, the previous Minister of Canadian Heritage tabled Bill C-60. The NDP believed there were significant problems with this legislation. We had serious concerns about the lack of discussion on the potential impacts of providing the legal sanction of digital locks. These digital locks, also known as Digital Rights Management (DRMs) and Technological Rights Management (TPMs) could seriously impact consumer rights as well as the fair use of materials.

The placing of electronic toll booths on the development of digital education raised concerns. The NDP felt then, as we feel now, that legislators need to become aware of the evolving complexities of cyberspace, so that any new legislation will be relevant both to the present and the future. New legislation must also balance the rights of individual creators with those of industry and the public.

The NDP is committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure that artists receive fair remuneration for their work. We are also obliged to reject restrictive copyright legislation that could be used to: quash the development of new digital distribution models; sue kids who share music files; and, impose tollbooths on the educational use of the Internet.

Please rest assured that the NDP caucus, led by the work of NDP MP Charlie Angus, will be studying all recommendations and developing positions on the many facets of potential copyright legislation. While there are no simple answers to this very complex issue, we will work to ensure the government brings forward copyright legislation that is both comprehensive and relevant.

I appreciate the time you have taken to register your views and concerns about this important issue. May I take this opportunity to wish you and yours the best of the holiday season.

Sincerely,

Jack Layton, MP (Toronto-Danforth)
Leader, Canada’s New Democrats

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Comments

Wow! To tell you the truth, I never really liked Layton but after reading this I must say that I am extremely impressed! As a member of the conservative party I voted for Harper and conservatives during the last election. I decided not to renew my membership this December because of what they are doing with the copyrights.

I am really leaning towards NDP at this point. They are the only party that seems to make noise in the parliament about this. The Liberals seem to be very quiet. Even though I do not agree with a lot of things NDP believe in; this issue is adequate enough for them to get my vote.

Comment by Arnab on December 14, 2007 @ 9:32 pm