GOSLING / Canadian Copyright update

Many changes to the laws that affect software developers are underway both within Canada and worldwide. This BOF will offer an update on changes to Canadian technology policy.

Canadian Bill C-60 was intended to allow Canada to ratify the highly controversial 1996 WIPO treaties. This bill died on the order paper when the 2006 election was called, but it is possible that we will see a new copyright amending bill by this years OLS or the next.

We hope to have lively discussion about these policies and share strategies. What happens in Canada can affect many other countries as we can become a model of how to embrace new media and alternative production, distribution and funding techniques for creativity. Alternatively we may enact laws to protect incumbent companies from transformative change brought on by competition.

Relevant organizations:

<UL> <LI>Digital Copyright Canada <A HREF="http://digital-copyright.ca">http://digital-copyright.ca</A><BR> <LI>Getting Open Source Logic INto Governments <A HREF="http://goslingcommunity.org">http://goslingcommunity.org</A><BR> <LI>CLUE <A HREF="http://cluecan.ca">http://cluecan.ca</A><BR> <LI>Online Rights Canada <A HREF="http://onlinerights.ca">http://onlinerights.ca</A><BR> <LI>Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic <A HREF="http://www.cippic.ca">http://www.cippic.ca</A><BR> </UL>

If you are a Canadian, please sign and tell others including your elected representatives about the <A HREF="http://digital-copyright.ca/petition/">Petition for Users' Rights</A>. Since creativity and innovation always builds on the past, users' rights are also creators' and innovators' rights. This is an issue that peer production creators such as Free Software developers understand well as we use licensing that enables us to quickly and easily build upon the work of others.