steppingintorivers.com

A letter to:

Mr. Bernard Bigras
House of Commons
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6

The Honourable Jim Prentice P.C, M.P.
5th floor, West Tower
C.D. Howe Building
235 Queen St.
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H5

The Honourable Josée Verner, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Canadian Heritage
25 Eddy Street
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0M5

Dear Sir,

I am a constituent and digital artist who cares about Canada’s cultural policy, and I am writing in regard to legislative proposals for “copyright reform.” As you consider the issue of copyright reform, I hope that you will work to ensure that any new legislation is not a regression from the sensible policies set out in Bill C-60.

In particular, I do not believe that “digital rights management” (DRM) technologies should stop the public from making lawful uses of their legitimately acquired media. Publishers using DRM push aside the delicate balance between copyright and the rights of the public - a balance set according to an assessment of the public interest by legislators - and replace it with one-sided rules that reflect publishers’ private interests. Even artists disagree with publishers’ anti-consumer use of DRM, as evidenced by the recently formed Canadian Music Creators Coalition. Therefore, as in Bill C-60, new copyright reform legislation should not make it illegal to circumvent DRM for lawful purposes.

I am also concerned that the use of DRM can threaten computer security and consumer privacy, as in the recent Sony-BMG “Rootkit” fiasco. When content companies routinely use technological measures to control how people enjoy entertainment in the privacy of their own homes, I think we need protection *from* DRM more than we need protection *for* it.

As a young digital artist, new DRM legislation worries me about my future role as a digital media content creator in my home country of Canada. DRM does not work; it is unsuccessful in the fight against piracy. Analog media can always be duplicated. Sound can be rerecorded, images can be recaptured. This cannot be stopped by root-kit viruses and malware.

DRM serves only to hinder and annoy would-be paying customers. It does nothing to stop peer to peer file-sharing. I do not want to seåe my beloved Canada become an archaic and unpleasant place for creators and enthusiasts of digital media.

These concerns are shared by a substantial and growing number of informed Canadian citizens. I hope that you will take them into account when considering any changes to Canadian copyright law. Thanks very much for your time.

Sincerely,

Joel Corriveau