torrentlog.com

Canada Elects Minority Government, Could Avoid Canadian DMCA Again

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 03:33:07 +0100

Canada was headed into political uncertainty with copyright legislation being successfully pushed under the rug throughout the election this year. For those hoping for a minority government to stop the Canadian DMCA really got their wish at this point in time. Just minutes ago, the CBC has projected that Canada will be headed into a Conservative minority government. As we noted earlier, a minority government may be instrumental in keeping the Canadian DMCA out of the law books for another little while. For the last two governments, Canada was faced with a possible Canadian DMCA.

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Canada Elects Minority Government, Could Avoid Canadian DMCA Again torrent downloads.

The Canadian DMCA and After This Election

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:33:06 +0100

There's a lot of talk in Canadian circles about the up and coming Canadian election and what it could mean for the future of copyright laws in the 21st century. We examine what the past has taught us and what the future may hold. A lot of corporate driven polls suggest that the election has started out with the question of Conservative majority or Conservative minority governments. Lately, the same polls are now raising the question of Conservative minority or Liberal minority. It stands to reason that this new prospect for those who watch the copyright file should be thrilled at the prospect of a minority government given that it has lately been the only reason why there hasn't been a Canadian DMCA pushed into law.

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The Canadian DMCA and After This Election torrent downloads.

Copyright Industry Getting Slaughtered in the Stock Markets

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:00:09 +0100

The copyright industry, namely the RIAA and MPAA, have said for years that file-sharing has caused the industry billions of dollars and loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs. Now, the stock markets have shown that there are serious questions being raised about whether or not we are headed in a global recession - so how is the copyright industry holding up in face of economic uncertainty? There are those that suggest that the downfall of the copyright industry is the direct result of file-sharing. Now, the dominant headlines all week in big media have been how massive sell-offs in the stock markets push the world-wide economy into a potential global recession. Since the copyright industry companies are on the stock exchange, let's take a look at how well they did in times of economic uncertainty. RIAA Members One of the big four major record labels is Sony.

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Department of Commerce lobby's for PRO-IP, Says 750,000 Jobs Were Lost

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 05:33:06 +0100

President Bush may be having second thoughts, but that isn't stopping the Department of Commerce from lobbying for a copyright czar. David Kravets of Threat Level is reporting on an interesting development in the PRO-IP legislation currently sitting in front of president Bush, waiting for his signature. The last we heard, the president was contemplating vetoing the bill, saying that it would violate the constitutional separation of powers. Entering the issue now is the Department of Commerce. They suggest that so-called "intellectual property piracy" has cost 750,000 jobs as well as a quarter of a trillion dollars annually (PDF - hosted by Wired).

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Department of Commerce lobby's for PRO-IP, Says 750,000 Jobs Were Lost torrent downloads.

Broadcasters Fail to Bring Copyright into Canadian National Debates

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:00:08 +0100

Hundreds of thousands of Canadians have had copyright on their minds as they went into the current election. In spite of a major grassroots movement to make copyright an election issue, the broadcasters seemed to have shut the issue out of the national leaders debate entirely. The underlying idea of a national leaders debate in Canada is to bring forth as many of the issues Canadians are concerned about. Understandably, the biggest one is economic issues. However, one of the issues that has been circulating in discussions across the country is related to copyright.

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Broadcasters Fail to Bring Copyright into Canadian National Debates torrent downloads.

Lessig’s ‘Free Culture’ Now Available with DRM

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 18:33:03 +0100

There is a continuing battle surrounding Digital Rights Management (DRM). While most rights holders see it as a way of maximizing their profits, users see it as a way to reduce their ability to actually use the products they bought, the way they want to. Ironically, one of the books that spells out what is wrong with DRM, is now available with DRM.

DRM has managed to become widespread without the knowledge of many. DVDs, MP3s, books, software, games and even audio CDs (although such DRM’d CDs are not allowed to use the CD logo), they can all come with DRM nowadays. DRM issues occasionally hit the headlines, with instances like the Sony Rootkit lawsuits and HD-DVD fiasco, with TorrentFreak even running a competition to design an anti- DRM T-shirt last year (results are here).

The problem with DRM is that it doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do. The only people who are negatively affected are honest customers, since pirates will get their DRM-free version off BitTorrent anyway. In fact, DRM seems to produce an increase in downloads over legitimate sales, with the ‘Spore’ fiasco as a recent example.

Public reaction to DRM is not favorable, and has been growing worse (such as when a DRM-based service closes). Even though some retailers have started to sell their goods without DRM, others have not, or have released products selling stuff ONLY in DRM encumbered formats. A prime example of without DRM is Amazon, with its music, and an example of with DRM is Amazon and their Kindle ebook reader. Kindle ebooks are sold complete with DRM, locking the books to a single system. This applies to all Kindle ebooks sold via Amazon.

One of the Kindle e-books looks a little out of place with DRM though. A member of the US-based Students for Free Culture organization informed TorrentFreak that the book Free Culture, by Creative Commons founder Lawrence Lessig, is available through the service. The book deals with the rise of the copyright situation in the US, and how laws in other areas were changed to keep pace with advances in technology, sometimes making obsolete decades, or centuries of precedent.

The fact that this book is available in a DRM format might not seem all that important, except that the book itself spells out what is wrong with DRM. The book is available as a 100% free download on the book’s official site. However, short of violating the DMCA by circumventing the DRM, it is hard to put the pdf version of the book on the Kindle, exemplifying the problem. Most ironically, though, is that the subtitle of the book is “How Big Media Uses Technology and the Law to Lock Down Culture and Control Creativity”, so the book has become its own example.

Prof. Lessig did not respond to requests for comment on this story, but he will be giving a keynote speech at SFC’s “Free Culture 08” on October 11th.

Post from: TorrentFreak

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Lessig’s ‘Free Culture’ Now Available with DRM torrent downloads.

Calgarian Digital Rights Activists Organize to Make Copyright Election Issue

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 04:00:07 +0100

Making copyright an election issue has been largely an underground movement. That could change in later legs of the Canadian election if meetings as scheduled in Calgary continue. Can copyright be an election issue? That's a tall order considering how other issues like the economy, gas prices, the televised debates and job security have been dominating the discussions so far. While not necessarily an election issue on the main stream media conscious, there is a movement among some who plan on organizing people to discuss ways to make copyright an election issue. The Meeting in Calgary While the road to making copyright an election issue may not be easy, a meeting in Calgary Alberta appears to be a great start to making that road easier.

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Calgarian Digital Rights Activists Organize to Make Copyright Election Issue torrent downloads.

Is the Clock Ticking for the Canadian DMCA?

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 05:33:04 +0100

With ever-present news of a possible election in Canada coming, the death of the current incarnation of the Canadian DMCA is no longer a question of if, but when. There's been no shortage of coverage on the very real possibility that Canada will be headed into an election very soon. We've covered the issue before when the possibility that the Canadian DMCA (Bill C-61) might be dying on the order-paper just like the first Canadian DMCA, Bill C-60 in 2005. Back at that point, it was only a distinct possibility that the Canadian DMCA would die on the order-paper. Now with extensive coverage suggesting that Canadians will know for sure next week if an election is called, it seems that the fate of the Canadian DMCA has been sealed at this point.

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Is the Clock Ticking for the Canadian DMCA? torrent downloads.

A Look Back - European Copyright Term Extension Effort Draws Concern

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 22:00:10 +0100

There's been quite a lot of evidence to support the idea that copyright term extension in Europe is a bad idea, yet the people tasked to determine whether or not it's a good idea seems to simply think otherwise. Many suggest that the evidence has been ignored in favor of lobbying. The Open Rights Group reported on a letter sent from Professor Bernt Hugenholtz, a commission adviser, to the Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. The letter essentially asks why the evidence arguing against copyright term extension has been, by and large, ignored. The term has been recommended to be extended by 45 years.

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A Look Back - European Copyright Term Extension Effort Draws Concern torrent downloads.

Canadian DMCA Doomed if Government Follows Through and Triggers Election

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 04:33:05 +0100

The Prime Minister of Canada is reportedly hinting at calling an election. If an election is called, history could repeat itself and have the Canadian DMCA die on the order-paper a second time. It may seem like just run of the mill political news in Canada, but the consequences are far reaching - affecting the fate of Bill C-61, the bill dubbed by many as the Canadian DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). The news most likely comes to the relief of many who have been affected by the creativity and technology industries, but the news will no doubt infuriate the foreign copyright industry who have been lobbying for years to get Canada to implement draconian copyright legislation. CBC reported that Stephan Harper, Canada's current prime minister, hinted at triggering an election during a speech in Cupids, Newfoundland.

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Canadian DMCA Doomed if Government Follows Through and Triggers Election torrent downloads.

India Report - There's Not Enough Pirate Courts Here

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 06:33:06 +0100

Sometimes, there is the odd report coming from Asia about a massive piracy bust with reportedly millions of CDs and DVDs being confiscated, but the aftermath of a major raid sometimes goes unnoticed. There's an interesting report from The times of India where there is a problem - there's not enough piracy courts to deal with the load of busted pirates. Of course, for the average North American, the concept of a "piracy court" is pretty much unheard of. Generally speaking, when someone gets sued for copyright infringement, they go through a regular court system just like any other case. Judging by what this report suggests, there is a court set aside in India to deal specifically with alleged pirates.

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India Report - There's Not Enough Pirate Courts Here torrent downloads.

EFF - New US Copyright Enforcement Proposal and ACTA Could be a Catastrophe

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 05:33:11 +0100

There is a new proposal that could further restrict copyright laws in the United States. With the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) on the minds of many people around the world, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is calling the new copyright proposals potentially catastrophic. Copyright and surveillance laws have been the subject of much discussion in the last few months. While some are more specifically copyright related pieces and others are more surveillance and privacy related, they all could affect peoples digital lives. For some, it's hard to imagine that copyright laws could get much worse in the United States, but that is exactly what could be happening if the latest proposals actually make it to law.

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EFF - New US Copyright Enforcement Proposal and ACTA Could be a Catastrophe torrent downloads.

EFF - New US Copyright Enforcement Proposal Could be a Catastrophe

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 05:00:10 +0100

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EFF - New US Copyright Enforcement Proposal Could be a Catastrophe torrent downloads.

Telus Denies Allegations Arising from 'Death of the Internet' Blog Posting

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:33:06 +0100

There's a new conspiracy theory afloat online alleging the death of the internet as we know it. The theory suggests that ISPs in Canada are attempting to make Canada a test-bed for charging a per website visit fee with the rest of the world to follow. Telus, one of Canada's largest ISP's responded denying such a thing is even going to happen. Every once i in a while, a conspiracy theory surfaces that, for the less informed, sounds like a major warning. For the more informed internet user, these same conspiracy theories really have no basis and can be taken with a grain of salt.

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Telus Denies Allegations Arising from 'Death of the Internet' Blog Posting torrent downloads.

ACTA Negotiations to Continue Next Week

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:33:05 +0100

The Anti Counterfeiting Trade Agreement known for being a 'Pirate Bay Killer' trade agreement is scheduled to be negotiated further next week. While ACTA is known for many things (most of which negative) it's, above all, known to be very secretive. We reported on ACTA about two months ago when it made its first appearance as a 'Pirate Bay Killer' agreement. At the time, the agreement had to be leaked online before any real transparency could be established. For American corporate interests, it is effectively another way to stop The Pirate Bay's operations.

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ACTA Negotiations to Continue Next Week torrent downloads.

Exclusive: The Pirate Bay Blasts FRA Law Passing

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:00:10 +0100

It has been a fast moving story with word early on yesterday that major protests were happening outside the Swedish Parliamentary buildings on the day of the vote and the subsequent passing of the controversial law. We here at ZeroPaid just received comments from Peter Sunde of The Pirate Bay on how they feel about the new legislation. The Lex Orwell law, which is also known as the FRA law, would allow a major supercomputer to conduct a major warrentless wiretapping program on the citizens within Sweden. Anything from internet communications to land-line communications would be monitored. The law passed last evening.

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Exclusive: The Pirate Bay Blasts FRA Law Passing torrent downloads.

British Top Legal Advisers - Copyright Term Extension is Bad

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 07:33:05 +0100

Many advocates and experts from around the world have had a long and hard fought battle to stop the major copyright industry's push to extend the term of copyright. It's very likely to be welcome news in Britain when this kind of opinion comes from "leading European centres for intellectual property research". In the last couple of months, copyright term extension in Britain seems to have become a dormant topic. The last major movement in this field came back in early March where a British MP objected to Copyright Term Extension legislation. Now, the Open Rights Group is reporting that top legal advisers are saying that, among other things, "The proposed Copyright Extension Directive will damage European creative endeavour and innovation beyond repair.

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British Top Legal Advisers - Copyright Term Extension is Bad torrent downloads.

Massive Data Retention Protests Hit Germany, Expected to Spread Across Europe

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:00:07 +0100

Imagine that every phone call, fax, e-mail, instant message and packet of information that you sent and received was captured by your government and stored for two years, regardless of whether or not a crime was committed. Now imagine thousands of Germans marching in protest. The German protests took place over last weekend with the European wide protest expected to commence in September 20th. The Stoppt Die Vorratsdatenspeicherung has announced the "Freedom, Not Fear" 2008 national day of action. Reports have surfaced that suggest the day of action was major success.

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Massive Data Retention Protests Hit Germany, Expected to Spread Across Europe torrent downloads.

Canada - High Profile Resignation Could Stall Copyright Bill

Tue, 27 May 2008 08:33:05 +0100

Late tonight comes reports that Maxime Bernier, now former minister of international affairs and the minister who previously took charge in the copyright reform bill has now resigned. The political fallout may put copyright reform on hold while the governing party swings into further damage control. Jim Prentice is currently the minister in charge of copyright reform in Canada, but there was a time when Maxime Bernier was minister of industry. He, for some time, took on the roll of the minister who would table copyright reform. There was promise of copyright reform, but a cabinet shuffle and he was moved out of the position, being replaced by Jim Prentice who now is taking on the profile.

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Canada - High Profile Resignation Could Stall Copyright Bill torrent downloads.

Canada - Net Neutrality Rally Expected on Parliament Hill

Sat, 24 May 2008 07:00:11 +0100

There's no shortage of coverage on the Bell Canada case. Now Canadians are planning on a huge network neutrality rally on the grounds of parliament hill. Network neutrality in the last few months has stormed its way into the headlines. While the issue has already gone from the headlines to demands with the CRTC, now there's word that there is a rally being organized on the 27th this month. The group organizing this rally is also organizing transportation for some to help others attend the event.

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Canada - Net Neutrality Rally Expected on Parliament Hill torrent downloads.

Take a Picture of Yourself, Help Protest Restrictive Copyright Reform

Sat, 10 May 2008 22:00:08 +0100

The Open Source Cinema is currently looking for mugshots of you for an upcoming movie that opposes restrictive copyright changes. Users are asked to use the Copyright Criminals photo plate to show that under certain copyright reform laws, you would become a criminal. Yesterday, we reported on the growing movement against copyright reform every time there is even mention of changing copyright laws in Canada. Now we have learned that there is a call for people to submit mugshots of themselves. It is not necessarily a contest, but if you care about the copyright laws in Canada and have a camera, this may be for you.

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Take a Picture of Yourself, Help Protest Restrictive Copyright Reform torrent downloads.

Canada Gets More Copyright Consultations

Sat, 10 May 2008 04:00:10 +0100

Was it something Michael Geist or a Canadian MP said or have the concerns over Copyright started spilling into more action within Canada? Whatever started this, though likely for many reasons instead of one, it seems that discussion over copyright and how to change laws for the better has seen substantial growth in the last few weeks - a growth not seen since Michael Geist's Facebook group. Many may point to Michael Geist's well-known Copyright Myths presentation that made its debut in the Public Policy Forum symposium on copyright. One of the points Geist made during his panel speech was that there has been limited consultation and substantial action. He notes the last consultation that occurred in 2001 and, in contrast, notes the actions of the government through 'phase one' with respect to new rights in 1987, rental rights in 1992, private copying and statutory damages in 2002, and last year's anti-camcording law. The talk was posted shortly afterwards for all to watch and listen.

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Canada Gets More Copyright Consultations torrent downloads.

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:33:05 +0100

Howard Knopf is known to many Canadians as a lawyer who successfully defended the file-sharing lawsuits in Canada a few years ago. So, when it was discovered that he had been uninvited, there was general outrage in pro-consumer circles. So how does the symposium shape up now? ZeroPaid investigates. A list of speakers and moderators were given in the program information (PDF), but perhaps the important point about this symposium is why it's important. Many experts who keep an eye in Canada are aware that this symposium could shape future copyright policy in Canada.

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Open Rights Group Echoes Patry's Concerns

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:07 +0100

Last Week, ZeroPaid reported on comments made by Bill Patry which suggests that the copyright industry is looking to make money off of private copying. It seems that he isn't alone on these concerns as the Open Rights Group told ZeroPaid that they agree with the concerns he expressed. The posting by Patry suggests that the Music Business Group (MBG) is saying how a copy made by a customer who legitimately bought music is added value for the customer and value lost for the music industry. The theory known as the 'reverse value' theory appears to be headed into the direction of demanding royalties for format shifting, etc. We here at ZeroPaid decided to ask Becky Hogge about all of this.

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Open Rights Group Echoes Patry's Concerns torrent downloads.

Open Rights Group Echo's Patry's Concerns

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:07 +0100

torrentlog.com - Full movie downloads (dvdrips and divx)

Open Rights Group Echo's Patry's Concerns torrent downloads.

torrentlog.com

Canada Elects Minority Government, Could Avoid Canadian DMCA Again

The Canadian DMCA and After This Election

Copyright Industry Getting Slaughtered in the Stock Markets

Department of Commerce lobby's for PRO-IP, Says 750,000 Jobs Were Lost

Broadcasters Fail to Bring Copyright into Canadian National Debates

Lessig’s ‘Free Culture’ Now Available with DRM

Calgarian Digital Rights Activists Organize to Make Copyright Election Issue

Is the Clock Ticking for the Canadian DMCA?

A Look Back - European Copyright Term Extension Effort Draws Concern

Canadian DMCA Doomed if Government Follows Through and Triggers Election

India Report - There's Not Enough Pirate Courts Here

EFF - New US Copyright Enforcement Proposal and ACTA Could be a Catastrophe

EFF - New US Copyright Enforcement Proposal Could be a Catastrophe

Telus Denies Allegations Arising from 'Death of the Internet' Blog Posting

ACTA Negotiations to Continue Next Week

Exclusive: The Pirate Bay Blasts FRA Law Passing

British Top Legal Advisers - Copyright Term Extension is Bad

Massive Data Retention Protests Hit Germany, Expected to Spread Across Europe

Canada - High Profile Resignation Could Stall Copyright Bill

Canada - Net Neutrality Rally Expected on Parliament Hill

Take a Picture of Yourself, Help Protest Restrictive Copyright Reform

Canada Gets More Copyright Consultations

Canadian Copyright Symposium 2008 - Speaker List Dissected

Open Rights Group Echoes Patry's Concerns

Open Rights Group Echo's Patry's Concerns