Confusion Over P2P in Canada
There seems to be confusion over how the Canadian government's intentions to amend its copyright laws will impact the downloading of music. While some Web sites and media outlets are reporting the changes will make it illegal to download music, this is not the case. Instead, it will be illegal to share music with other people, and ISPs will have to play an active role - whatever that entails - to make sure their customers do not infringe on copyright. Niether one of these clauses will make it illegal to download music. And given downloading music is one of the key reasons broadband Internet access has such high penetration in Canada, it will be a marketing/strategic challenge for ISPs to “police” customers.
While it's fine to amend copyright laws, the Canadian government also need to re-visit its levy regime, which places a tax on everything from blank CDs and hard drives to MP3 players and digital camera memory. One of the reasons Canadians feel they have the right to download free music is the belief we are already paying for it though the levy system, which is supposed to direct money to artists, labels and publishers. If the Canadian government really wants to address the whole downloading issue, it needs to scrap the levy and create a completely new system that's fair to consumers, artists, labels and publishers. Until then, our copyright system when it comes to digital media will continue to be a mess.
