Business News Legal

US trade groups say Canadian copyright reforms haven’t gone far enough

By | Published on Thursday 11 February 2016

IIPA

There was me thinking that the problem was YouTube. “Kill off YouTube, and let the rock n roll party resume”. That’s what I was always told. But turns out the actual problem is Canada. I always knew there was something a little bit strange going on over there.

The International Intellectual Property Alliance, which is what happens when various American copyright industry trade groups get together, has published its latest submission to the US government in which it discusses the countries that really need to do more about enforcing IP rights. And plenty of time is given to that big neighbour in the north.

“Canada still has far to go to rectify its reputation as a safe haven for internet pirates”, says the new report. “Indeed, a number of the world’s most popular internet sources dedicated to online theft of copyright material retain connections to Canada”.

Among the “popular internet sources dedicated to online theft” with links to Canada is one of the most popular of them all, good old KickassTorrents, while the IIPA also lists Sumotorrent.sx, Seedpeer.eu, Zippyshare.com, Tuebl.com and Solarmovie.is, and the Popcorn Time movement.

Now, Canada’s record on tackling online piracy has been criticised before by both the US entertainment industries and the American government, and Canadian politicians have responded with some recent copyright law reforms. And, the IIPA concedes, these have helped to an extent.

“In October 2015, a Canadian Federal Court issued a sweeping injunction against the Canadian developers of Popcorn Time”, it confirms. “The court relied, in part, on claims that the defendants had provided services primarily for the purpose of enabling acts of copyright infringement, in violation of the newly enacted provision”.

But, and here’s the thing, says the IIPA: “In other respects, however, the Copyright Modernisation Act simply fails to respond adequately to the challenge of online piracy”.

That’s not just about tackling those developing and running piracy tools and websites, but also the way internet service providers are obliged to alert suspected file-sharers that their infringing has been spotted. The system in place in Canada, the IIPA says, does not go far enough.

Concluding, the trade group writes: “The consistent absence of any criminal enforcement in Canada against even the most blatant forms of online theft complete the picture of a system that is still not up to the challenge. Canada should review the effectiveness of its current regime, and consider alternatives to remedy its shortcomings and the current lack of incentives to stimulate full inter-industry cooperation against online piracy”.

Yeah, Canada, get reviewing and remedying will you? And Chile, China, India, Russia and Vietnam, don’t think you’re getting away with it. You’re all on the IIPA’s Priority Watch List, which means you’re worse than the Canadians. Yes, that’s right, worse than the Canadians! Just imagine that.

By the way, hello Canada, how are you? See you in Toronto in May.



READ MORE ABOUT: