After a classroom discussion with John Finch regarding copyright law and an educators responsibilities, I was provoked to delve further into the seedy under belly of piracy. Surprisingly, as I soon discovered, the Harper government is taking yet another series of covert Conservative manoeuvres to destroy what is deemed Liberal. The recently passed Copyright Modernization Act (Bill C-11) forces internet service providers into releasing the identities and details of their subscribers. The bill was overwhelmingly rejected by NDP and Liberal representatives but the Conservatives pushed and on June 29th, 2012 the bill received royal ascent. In order to hunt the notorious Canadian pirates, Canipre has been hired. Canipre is a Canadian forensic software company, which estimates pirates in Canada at one in thirty. Ten million Canadians engaging in a taboo activity or is it the norm? Once you have downloaded content illegally, companies with your IP address must first inform your internet service provider, who in turn will send you a cease and desist order. If you do not comply, then you will be in trouble. The fine is a five thousand dollar maximum, compared to 25,000 plus in the United States. Internet anonymity could be at an end, yet another governmental perversion of privacy. The utilitarianism of Jeremy Bentham will certainly be a justification. Perhaps we should all follow the ideas of radicals such as Julian Assange, journalist and founder of Wikileaks, who believes that governments should be open about information to ensure honesty. Or of radicals Peter Sunde, Fredrik Neij and Gottfrid Svartholm who founded The Pirate Bay, where music, images, movies, and programs are shared free. The Pirate Bay (commonly abbreviated TPB) is a website that provides torrent files and magnet links to facilitate peer-to-peer file sharing using the BitTorrent protocol. From a moral, non-Capitalistic standpoint they are providing entertainment for millions to freely enjoy and share. From a legal standpoint they are guilty of copyright infringement and so are all the down-loaders who utilize this site. For educators this is important, we must obey the law. There are many sites that offer free and legal information for use by the public without breaking the established law. For informative and entertainment sake check out this video:
Sources:
http://rt.com/op-edge/dutch-court-pirate-bay-457/
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/tech-news/anti-piracy-firm-targeting-canadians-who-download-illegally/article11877622/
http://www.mondaq.com/canada/x/207534/Copyright/Bill+C11+Canadas+New+and+Improved+Copyright+Act
http://www.techvibes.com/blog/bill-c-11-canadian-copyright-pirates-2012-12-20
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/50-informative-and-well-designed-infographics/
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/50-informative-and-well-designed-infographics/
Jeremy,
ReplyDeleteWow you know a lot about the pirate bay *wink wink* :P
Any who, I never realized how careful we, as teachers, need to be. In all are my student teaching placements that I have been in, I have never heard of anyone talking about the copyright laws that we need to follow as teachers. I am going to make a point of talking with the teachers and admin about this in my next student teaching placement!