Canadian Writers Speak Out on Copyright

Canadian Writers Speak Out on Copyright

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Writers' Union
• Social Media
• Erna Paris
• Susan Swan
• Sandra Campbell
• Alan Cumyn

[GregHollingshead1]

This should not turn into teachers vs artists. Everybody should be paid. We all work for little enough as it is. The problem with C-32 is that it 's not at all evident from the wording what will constitute educational fair dealing and what will not. Teachers will not know what is legal copying and what is not legal copying. Artists, instead of having copyright protection for their work, will need to go to court to prove each violation. The law needs to clarify the situation, not muddy it.

[acumyn]

This is about property rights. If a law forced photocopier companies to donate services to schools for tests and exams the howling would be intense. Yet writers are supposed to donate parts of their work for free? Every major professional writing group in the country opposes the proposed education exception. If a writer wants to donate parts of his or her work to schools, that's a personal choice. But C-32 will require it in law of all writers and artists whose work is of educational interest.

[ZimzRevenge]

George Orwell was a better writer than all these horribly ugly looking people, and he wrote a little book called 1984.

[Gundamortal]

BUUUUUUUUUU!!!!

[grimslider75]

(cont...)... n economic system which gives ALL people the essential resources so that writers do not have to starve themselves of essential things (right to energy for best quality of life, right to food, clothing, and transport that all required for quality living). Writers don't need money, they need resources for a good quality of life so that their ability to transmit new knowledge isn't impaired by our fucked up economic/social system.

[grimslider75]

@whitehorsejason

Right on man! I think that your point which states "Just because you are an artist, writer, publisher, actor, or musician does not mean you should have the right to be a millionaire" means a lot not only because of the obvious greed and pride inherent in the justifications for the unfair market economy, but also simply because all people who manipulate knowledge for the good of others should fight to keep that knowledge free. What they should fight for is a ...(cont...)

[whitehorsejason]

I am against copyright law, as it is. The IIPA generally lies about everything in their statements and I applaud the many countries that say enough is enough and that the world will no longer bow down to the pressures of the USA. Keep the internet free and uncensored. Just because you are an artist, writer, publisher, actor, or musician does not mean you should have the right to be a millionaire. Fortunately the industries greed has finally caught up with it. Their fight is like a spoiled kid.

[Tigerbyte123]

The way I see this situation is that writers want to be paid over and over and over for their work. To compare teachers and principals work on the same level of authors is crap, authors do the work once, teachers and principals are there every day. Once ideas are expressed, they become the property of whomever is exposed to them. The next thing that is going to be demanded is for everyone who ever uses an idea from someone else to have to pay every time it is used. I am an author.

[Jyagos1]

@resonantmind

And the problem is... no part of the industry is an isolated economy. The ripple effect that you're describing moves more than just one way and copyright does its best to keep it moving ONLY one way. Piracy really isn't the issue. What is the issue is how to make money on the economic abundance.

[Whapastim2]

Anybody have a link to a Petition?

[resonantmind]

@jessified

It's not the sole reason, but a big part of it. You have to look at our industries as their own sort of isolated economies. When money is put in, it circulates and trickles and is invested to help the industry progress.

Hey, I'd glady give my art away for free... If I could live in a world where all I have to worry about is art and not money, ie, I don't have to pay for my electricity, food, water, health care, etc, etc. But that's not the case.

[jessified]

@resonantmind

Right cause piracy is the thing that is making young voices broke. If all students paid for every piece of copyrighted product they consumed then they would be so much richer.

The only reason I don't get mad is because this is so easy to predict: intellectual monopolies (i.e. copyright) are on their way out just like the physical resource monopolies of the mercantilist days. You can't sustain a law that so few people support; with every generation are fewer people supporting IP.