"Balanced"

This video of The Hour with copyright activist and law professor Micheal Geist is 4 years old. We are now debating the exact same issues with Bill C-11, which the government has tried to pass in the past. 

As the conservative government is trying to push C-11 through parliament so it can be implemented so soon as just after the holidays, it’s important to understand why this Bill is being debated. Of course it’s essential to modernize our copyright laws; the last time it was revised was almost 15 years ago. But, this brings up the question: How can we ensure effective regulation of the internet as technology changes so much, and so quickly? If this particular bill gets passed...how relevant will it be in just a couple of years?

There are parts of this law that will work towards creating a more balanced online environment for both consumers and creators, but there are some parts that seriously need to be reconsidered in order to make that true. Michael Geist, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, wrote on his blog http://www.michaelgeist.ca/ that the fair dealing definitions and exceptions need to be broadened and consumers need to be given the right to break locks for personal uses.

This is not the first attempt at passing this law. In 2005, the Liberal government introduced Bill C-60, which also contained the anti-circumvention provision (making breaking digital locks illegal). The Bill was criticized for siding with copyright holders over consumers and died when Parliament was dissolved that fall. Then, in 2008, the Conservative government tried again with Bill C-61, which also had the anti-circumvention rules. Similarly, that bill died. Then, they introduced Bill C-32, now Bill C-11, which is identical. Industry minister James Moore assured us that nothing has changed. They are trying to pass this law quickly, ignoring the thousands of critics (that they have heard) from both the industry side and consumer side.