Don't Let the U.S. Send SOPA to Canada
With SOPA and PIPA dead in the U.S., lobbyists may be working behind the scenes to pass similar legislation in Canada.
Because of the music industry's proposed changes to copyright reform bill C-11, Canada could be "a prime target for SOPA style rules," warns Ottawa law professor Michael Geist.
The main point of contention is the industry's push to expand and add statutory damages to an "enabler provision" that would target a wider range of websites and run liability into the millions of dollars for a target website. Other groups are pushing for language that some fear could be used to shut down sites like YouTube.
The massive public protest over the SOPA and PIPA provisions was due to their threat to the Internet and freedom of speech. The same protest is needed to stop SOPA-like changes to Canada's C-11 bill.
Don't let the U.S. Send SOPA to Canada.
We, the undersigned, believe that industry-proposed changes to your C-11 bill could prove an enormous threat to the Internet and freedom of speech.
Furthermore, as law professor Michael Geist points out, the same questions over the need for SOPA in the U.S. also hold true for enabler provision changes to C-11, because Canadian law already gives the music industry the power it needs to sue for infringement.
We believe that the wave of protests that has stopped SOPA and PIPA in the U.S. should also be heeded in Canada to prevent SOPA-like changes to C-11.
We request that you reject any pressure from the United States to toughen the enabler provision of C-11 or any U.S. attempts to send SOPA to Canada.
Thank you for your attention to these requests.
