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Canadas Stalled Copyright Reform Alleged to Blame for Global Music Piracy
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry cites Canada’s lack of copyright reform for the state of world’s piracy problem. The recording industry association reported that global music sales fell by 7% in 2009 with digital sales rising 9.2%. The report alleges that "Canada, practically the only government of a developed country not to have implemented international copyright treaties agreed over a decade ago, is a major source of the world's piracy problem. A disproportionate number of illegal sites are hosted on Canadian soil."
Canada is also a perennial target of the U.S. Trade Representative and was hit again in that office’s 2010 Special 301 Report released earlier this month. Again, Canada is on the priority Watch List for not providing “an adequate level of IPR protection or enforcement, or market access” along with China, Russia, and others.
Some assert that Canada is being unfairly criticized and that recent reports must be seen in context with Canada’s slow, but on-going progress toward copyright reform. Everyone has an agenda.
For additional information visit:
http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_news/20100428.html
http://tinyurl.com/TORSTAR-GEIST-IFPI-report
http://tinyurl.com/G-M-IFPI-report