It is finally upon us, for months there has been talk that the Canadian Government would introduce there reformed copyright law and without further ado a major shake up in not only the copyright law but Canadian lives is about to take place.  As it seems with most governments these days ours is about to buckle to influence from some of the United States biggest corporations and will ultimately lead to a major breach in ones internet privacy.

I’ve been talking about this for months and for anyone that reads this and just shrugs it off I dont think you appreciate the value of what this law is proposing.  We’ve all heard horror stories of US College kids, families, and even early teens getting sued for $20,000 plus as the result of downloading a copyrighted song through a P2P file sharing program (Limewire, iMesh, Shareaza etc).  Well friends if this law sees the light of day you to could be faced with the consequence of being served and having to fork over upwards to $20,000 per song.

Still not worried?  Take all the DVD’s, CD’s, legally purchased MP3′s and burn them onto a backup CD.  Guess what, you’re committing copyright infringment and if caught will be prosecuted the same.  It’s crazy to think that when one buys a product either online or at a store it still wont technically belong to you.

If you don’t think you can get caught for downloading one song think again as it could become very apparent that such companies like Shaw and Telus will now be forced to hand over the details of ones IP address which leads the bad guys straight to your house.  For years the RIAA and MPAA have requested such details on Canadian IP’s but Telus has refused saying it would be a breach in privacy.  What I do in my own home should be my own business no?

Of course there will be ways to protect yourself, *cough cough like encrypted downloads* but the fact of the matter is this law will open a door to all kinds of ridiculousness. The United States is apparently already taking action at US Customs and searching Ipods, Laptops, and Cellphones looking for any illegal material.  I’d be willing to be that having this bill pass in Canada will ultimately lead to some sort of the same situation happening at our border.  Imagine not being able to leave the country with an Ipod or Laptop because you have a few songs you wanted to listen to.

The balance of what will be illegal and what wont still remains to be seen but this will have a major effect on our everyday lives.  Even something as simple as recording a television show on your PVR may wind up being illegal.

But hey, if you dont care and get searched at customs or slapped with a lawsuit dont say I didn’t warn you.  If you are even somewhat worried visit this site www.modchip.ca/store/join/join.html and let your MP know how you feel.

Walks

I’m not going to sit here and blow smoke up your ass telling you why they’re one of my favorite bands, I’ll let the music do the talking.

“Shimmy Low”
“Better Off Without You”
“Born Too Late”
“On Saturday”
“Maybe”
“Cigarette”
“Chasin Girls” – Dont mind the weird Japanamation, this was oddly the first song I listened to.

There is obviously many more really good songs but I cannot find a link for them on youtube, check out TheClarksOnline if you like what you see.  The next step is to tell them to release a song for Rock Band so I can get drunk and rip out the vocals.

Walks
www.hotstickybun.com

RIAA Website Wiped Clean by “Hackers”
Written by Ernesto on January 20, 2008

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Let’s just all agree that these douce bags had it coming.

Walks
www.hotstickybun.com

By Marc Fisher
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 30, 2007; Page M05

Despite more than 20,000 lawsuits filed against music fans in the years since they started finding free tunes online rather than buying CDs from record companies, the recording industry has utterly failed to halt the decline of the record album or the rise of digital music sharing.  Still, hardly a month goes by without a news release from the industry’s lobby, the Recording Industry Association of America, touting a new wave of letters to college students and others demanding a settlement payment and threatening a legal battle.

Now, in an unusual case in which an Arizona recipient of an RIAA letter has fought back in court rather than write a check to avoid hefty legal fees, the industry is taking its argument against music sharing one step further: In legal documents in its federal case against Jeffrey Howell, a Scottsdale, Ariz., man who kept a collection of about 2,000 music recordings on his personal computer, the industry maintains that it is illegal for someone who has legally purchased a CD to transfer that music into his computer.

The industry’s lawyer in the case, Ira Schwartz, argues in a brief filed earlier this month that the MP3 files Howell made on his computer from legally bought CDs are “unauthorized copies” of copyrighted recordings.

“I couldn’t believe it when I read that,” says Ray Beckerman, a New York lawyer who represents six clients who have been sued by the RIAA. “The basic principle in the law is that you have to distribute actual physical copies to be guilty of violating copyright. But recently, the industry has been going around saying that even a personal copy on your computer is a violation.”

RIAA’s hard-line position seems clear. Its Web site says: “If you make unauthorized copies of copyrighted music recordings, you’re stealing. You’re breaking the law and you could be held legally liable for thousands of dollars in damages.”

They’re not kidding. In October, after a trial in Minnesota — the first time the industry has made its case before a federal jury — Jammie Thomas was ordered to pay $220,000 to the big record companies. That’s $9,250 for each of 24 songs she was accused of sharing online.

Whether customers may copy their CDs onto their computers — an act at the very heart of the digital revolution — has a murky legal foundation, the RIAA argues. The industry’s own Web site says that making a personal copy of a CD that you bought legitimately may not be a legal right, but it “won’t usually raise concerns,” as long as you don’t give away the music or lend it to anyone.

Of course, that’s exactly what millions of people do every day. In a Los Angeles Times poll, 69 percent of teenagers surveyed said they thought it was legal to copy a CD they own and give it to a friend. The RIAA cites a study that found that more than half of current college students download music and movies illegally.

The Howell case was not the first time the industry has argued that making a personal copy from a legally purchased CD is illegal. At the Thomas trial in Minnesota, Sony BMG’s chief of litigation, Jennifer Pariser, testified that “when an individual makes a copy of a song for himself, I suppose we can say he stole a song.” Copying a song you bought is “a nice way of saying ‘steals just one copy,’ ” she said.

But lawyers for consumers point to a series of court rulings over the last few decades that found no violation of copyright law in the use of VCRs and other devices to time-shift TV programs; that is, to make personal copies for the purpose of making portable a legally obtained recording.

As technologies evolve, old media companies tend not to be the source of the innovation that allows them to survive. Even so, new technologies don’t usually kill off old media: That’s the good news for the recording industry, as for the TV, movie, newspaper and magazine businesses. But for those old media to survive, they must adapt, finding new business models and new, compelling content to offer.

The RIAA’s legal crusade against its customers is a classic example of an old media company clinging to a business model that has collapsed. Four years of a failed strategy has only “created a whole market of people who specifically look to buy independent goods so as not to deal with the big record companies,” Beckerman says. “Every problem they’re trying to solve is worse now than when they started.”

The industry “will continue to bring lawsuits” against those who “ignore years of warnings,” RIAA spokesman Jonathan Lamy said in a statement. “It’s not our first choice, but it’s a necessary part of the equation. There are consequences for breaking the law.” And, perhaps, for firing up your computer.