back to article US lawmakers put Canada, Spain on piracy 'watch list'

A group of US lawmakers plan to "closely monitor" five countries where they claim copyright piracy has reached "alarming levels." The Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus, made up of over 70 members of US Congress, singled out China, Russia, Canada, Spain, and Mexico on Wednesday for its "2009 International Piracy …

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  1. Dick Emery
    Happy

    LOLmerica

    Take your silly copyright idealz and shove zem where zee sun don't shine!

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Canada always was

    http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A07E7DB1F39E433A25750C1A9609C94669ED7CF

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    As a proud Canadian ...

    I say to the U.S. "I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster, and your father smells of elderberry."

    Paris, 'cause she has more brains you know where, then these copyright NAZIs have combined.

  4. DavCrav

    *Cough* Sweden?

    Would have thought that would have featured on the US's 'we don't like you because you don't give our companies enough of your money' list.

  5. Peyton
    Flame

    What?! No Blighty??

    You guys have got some serious downloading to catch up on!

    Wait a minute... why isn't teh US on the list?? I cry foul!! There's no way we're not at least in the top 5. I demand some sort of recount!!

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    intellectual property protections ... at our borders

    That would be the copying of private hard disks at airports, then?

  7. Andrew Fraser
    Flame

    *deep breath*

    *Warning- Bile filed content to follow*

    "The caucus claims digital technology "holds the promise of a golden age for movies, music, video games and other forms of entertainment" and are key to American economic growth"

    And why the fuck should other countries care about growth of a US industry?

    I am sick and tired of studio's fucking complaining about this stuff, when piracy isn't anywhere near the cause of their issues;

    The rampant abuse of IP to prevent smaller startups getting into the industry. - They buy a script/rights to a book and then just sit on it. They don't develop it, they buy it and sit on it, just to stop their competitors making, and to stop smaller players entering the market. They sue anyone who wants to a make a movie, that even sounds close to any of their scripts.

    The deep commitment to churn out remake after remake after remake, after fucking remake. - Look at next years release list so far. Its all remakes, and reboots.

    Their own stupid accounting system. - Look up "Hollywood Accounting"

    Their flat refusal to join the modern market and embrace multiple distrubution models. - I want to be able to see a movie on DVD or on download, when it comes out, not sit in a cinema with a bunch of braindead, clueless, noisy, phone-using fucktards, and be charged $15 for the privilidge.

  8. Doug Zolmer

    Canada should not be on the list

    The USA keeps complaining that Canada is a haven for copyright infringement. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is a Professor of law at the University of Ottawa named Michael Geist who has a blog that discusses this fallacy (and other topics related to telecoms and networking). It is updated often and I find it to be an interesting read (just like The Register).

    If you are Canadian (or even a non-Canadian), I urge you to surf to www.michaelgeist.com and get the truth about why the USA is dead wrong on this issue.

  9. Ceiling Cat

    Seriously?

    Pathetic. Bloody pushy America.

    So they're basically saying "We're broke because we bailed out GM and the "Big Money" banks, so now we're going after OTHER COUNTRIES because our musicians are the only source of growth our country has left!"

    Wow, way to paint (borrow) yourselves into a corner.

  10. Peter Gray
    Pirate

    You do have to wonder

    ... why they bother publishing this. Do they really expect other countries governments to say "Oh no! We may be costing US corporations some of their profits!! Quick, lets start enforcing US copyrights in our own sovereign nations!"

    Or is this just cynical posturing for their own domestic market - and if so, do people outside of these companies really care much?

    Pirate icon, for fairly obvious reasons...

  11. Juan Inamillion

    Pinch me, am I dreaming.

    Breathtaking hypocrisy. The US, in the form of the MPAA and the RIAA as the main instigators, display their unparalleled ignorance, by assuming that the rest of the world is the 51st State of America, in trying to dictate how foreign governments should behave i.e. as lickspittle dogsbodies to the Great Capitalist Pigdog. Fucking hell, I go to the foot of my stairs.

    And I see that unbelievable twunt Orin Hatch is in there again.

    So the Whole World should be subservient to the Great Satan - the US of A? (sic)

    FFS here's a plea to all ordinary free-thinking Americans - I know you exist because I've been there and talked to you many times - get these cnuts away from the microphone. You surely realise the damage they're doing. You've elected the Best Chance you've had in decades to lead your country back from the abyss.

    "Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights"

  12. Suburban Inmate
    Flame

    /me dons flameproof overalls

    " ...ideas, inventions, artistic works, and other commercially viable products created out of one's own mental processes deserve the same protection under the law as any tangible product or piece of real estate."

    Agreed!

    *BUT* while we are in a capitalist global economy, there will always be consumer force to be considered. Why not release movies free on trackers owned by movie studios and bill the companies that have product placements according to the viewership? Alternatively, why not a "guitar case" donation model for independent media? Or a combination of the two?

    The Big Media corporations need to realise that their monopoly on data distribution is over. O...V...E...R...!!! Profits are down because progress has been made by the consumers of media, and no amount of laws or lawsuits will return that horse to its stable, short of banning encryption. (Goodbye business VPNs, SSL, PGP, etc.... NOT gonna happen!)

    Maybe TV and movies will move more into "serious" areas like documentries to persuade people to chuck a few coins in their guitar case, while the crap like "Freddy got Fingered" and "Australia" will thankfully die out.

    Maybe consumers will go to see more live theatre. (Thoroughly recommended!)

    Maybe consumers that love a movie or album or whatever will gladly pay for a REASONABLY priced CD/DVD with maybe a few extras to make up the value (CD/DVD Fabrication cost: £1 max including case and artwork/booklets I reckon... maybe someone can clarify?)

    Discuss... because now I'm skinning up.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Terrific

    Freetards can't go fuck themselves generally, there isn't any argument that can support the idea that stealing from someone is okay. This pretense that large corporates like Microsoft and Sony are the only victims rather than individuals is just bullshit.

    But it seems the US government still hasn't learned something called diplomacy. We expected the Bush administration and the Republican Congress to call everyone a fucker and order sovereign nations to do as the US wills. They were simply using the theory that the US knows what's best for everyone and you can go fuck yourself if you don't agree.

    But I thought the reason we elected Obama and his Democrat rebel alliance was we were moving away from the idea that we get to tell the entire world what they have to do. This holier-than-thou attitude is obviously going to alienate the people whose help we need for significantly more important reasons that dodgy DVDs.

    Generally insulting the people whose help you need isn't considered the best way to get them to co-operate with you and I find it strange our politicians still haven't worked this out.

    I'm sure a few Confederate rednecks are whooping it up, after all Spain did just threaten to do what our own Justice Department was too spineless to go through with (prosecute torturers and war criminals), but the rest of us get pretty dismayed when xenophobic political rhetoric is aimed at countries we actually quite like.. (in my case it's an adopted set of politicians but as I live here now I get lumped in with Americans and I get pissed off when they do stupid things like this despite being clearly told by the US public they want it to stop).

  14. raving angry loony

    bugger off

    Someone should tell the American "Intellectual property" lobby that we've had enough of their aggressive use of the US State Department to force other countries to bow to their unrealistic, anti-copyRIGHT bullshit.

    Go Canada! Go Spain! Tell the Americans to fuck right off. If Disney can make his fortune by stealing a mouse from one place, adding stolen Buster Keaton scripts to it, and calling it Mickey, why the hell shouldn't the rest of the world benefit from the ability to create new works based on older works? Or perhaps they'd like to explain why Fox moved from New York (which at the time had strong copyright) to California (which at the time had no copyright laws). Could it be because he was simply stealing works from others and passing them off as his own? Or do they conveniently forget the entire history of their own entertainment industry when it suits them?

  15. Mike
    Pirate

    Spain? Que?

    Well in Spain we get TV shows, if we do get them at all, with months or years of delay. The only way I have of watching the current season of Rescue Me is via torrents - the season 3 & 4 DVD packs were not even released here! I can now only listen to about a 10th of what a UK-based listener could on Spotify, thanks to...the record labels and their stupid geographical restrictions. We pay software at a huge premium over US prices. The claim is always "taxes" - yeahright, VAT being 16% in Spain, it doesn't account for something being twice the price in Euros as in USD.

    For the final nail in the coffin, Spain levies a "digital tax" on EVERY device sold that has storage capable of holding media, or capable of copying copyrighted material. Note that I say "capable", not "destined to". A typical DVD has about 70 Euro cents in tax applied, an inkjet printer 8 Euros, while I just paid over 3 Euros in tax for the DVD unit in my new MacBook Pro.

    Before placing Spain on some piracy list, they should reveal how much they are earning from these mandatory taxes.

  16. Daniel Garcia
    Flame

    does it have limits?

    their arrogance, i mean.

    ODFO copyright whores of US of A

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Boffin

    Pot, Kettle, Black

    I saw a report about two weeks ago (not put out by the US) that listed the top 10 countries accused rampant piracy. Canada was actually in 10th place. China was first place. Guess which was #5. The US. Funny, I don't see them listed on their own watch list.

  18. Kevin

    Wow

    I can't believe anyone in those countries actually waste the time to download the crap that Hollywood and music companies are making. It boggles the mind. I actually agree with Andrew Fraser above 100%.

    The thing hurting the movie companies and music companies is not piracy, piracy has ALWAYS existed. The thing that IS hurting them is the constant shit they keep churning out. Hell the local bootlegger that sells copies of the DVD screeners for new movies for $5 is losing business due to shit the studios are churning out, so who in the hell is going to pay almost $20 a person to see the crap or pay $20 for it on DVD.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Linux

    Surrounded?

    Anybody noticed that US is surrounded by so called "thieves"

    Above and below.

    ""Conversely," stated Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, "counterfeiting and piracy cripple growth and stifle innovation. Many do not understand that ideas, inventions, artistic works, and other commercially viable products created out of one's own mental processes deserve the same protection under the law as any tangible product or piece of real estate. Unfortunately, some believe that if they find it on the Internet then it must be free. We must stop this destructive mindset.""

    Do some research. You will see that "piracy" is a GREAT marketing tool. Youre making money from it.

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Everyone is out of step

    except our Johnny!

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Si si senor

    "It complains that there's been "unsatisfactory" funding and government efforts to combat copyright piracy in Mexico."

    Quite right! It's about time Mexico stopped spending money on public health and services and put a life endangering amount into stopping piracy.

    U.S. - You want it, you buy it you evil f*cks.

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Everyone is out of step

    "ideas, inventions, artistic works, and other commercially viable products created out of one's own mental processes deserve the same protection under the law as any tangible product or piece of real estate."

    So the user gets to pay for it once, and then do whatever they want with it, including selling it on when they don't need it any more?

    Or did you have some different definition of "the same protection"?

  23. Shane Kent
    Unhappy

    Canada....

    Our government is based around our privacy first and foremost. You got to be a terrorist here, or threaten national/public security, before you can be spied upon. Against the law to own stuff to spy on people here, even if you don't spy it is against the law to have it (like we Canadians see in Florida, but we aren't allowed to buy it and take it home). Only police that pull you over randomly is around holidays when looking for drunk drivers. Chances of getting your car searched are next to none, because you would have to be a real screw up before cops would risk violating your privacy and the headaches it could lead to for them.

    Then something like this, the Internet Service Providers have to spy on what their customers are doing. That the ISP "employees" have the right to spy on Canadians, by monitoring what they are doing? Who are these ISP employees and how much can they see? Not how much are they supposed to see, but how much can they see and what kind of security clearance, etc. do these emplyees have?

    That is one huge can of worms in this country, thank god, not because I pirate, but because I believe I have the right to my privacy. Not a right to do bad things, but that my rights should not be trampled on to prevent bad things. If the industries cannot safeguard their intellectual properties that is not my problem.

    I feel for the U.S. economy, but I bought XP64, Vista64, Sony Studio, Pinnacle Studio, Mac OSX Upgrade, and all the other software that came with Camcorders, PCs, etc. that I have. I have 3 JVC HD Camcorders and one JVC SD so if anyone questions it I will video-youtube all that and then the "hundreds of DVDs" I have bought in last few years. Yes a few years, I used to work for MS and never had a life, then I quit and got one. I love National Geographic, BBC and movies, and I am more than happy to pay for DVDs (for more to be produced down the road). When I was a teenager I was in to music, no MP3s or Internet at home on X86s and 286s when I was a teenager, lol.

    I even bought TV shows on DVD, I would say that I am a poster boy for the industry, so please don't f@#k with my right to privacy.

  24. RW
    Flame

    Orrin Hatch

    He's just a brain-dead Mormon from Utah, posturing for some incomprehensible reason. Preaching to some nonexistent choir, you might say.

    Perhaps it's merely that the RIAA and MPAA have paid him to posture meaninglessly, a tactic that somehow seems typical of those two brain-dead organizations.

    A quote from The Bard seems appropriate: "Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

    I imagine Orrin Hatch wouldn't understand that little line.

  25. Tom

    Canada

    They don't like the personal copy laws that allow us to make copies or mix CDs for our own use.

    They HATE that we refuse to create a DCMA clone.

    They don't like having to provide proof to get a court order so they can get the name of an ISP customer.

    They don't like having their DCMA take down notices bounced with a note that the DCMA is not a Canadian law, they have to use a Canadian request.

    Most bootleg products in Canada come from China.

  26. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Re: Spain? Que?

    >Spain levies a "digital tax" on EVERY device sold that has storage capable...

    And as far as I'm concerned, having paid the fine without being convicted of the offence I'm completely at liberty to download any damn thing I wish.

    The bigger problem in Spain is the organised copying. Any day of the week I can walk through virtually any part of Madrid and see mini-markets of fake and copied goods inicluding DVDs. This practice is referred to as top manta because the products are displayed on the top of a sheet which is whipped up when the police come along. This spectacle is a farce. At the sight of a couple of police officers the vendors grab a string tied to each corner of the sheet then run off. The police make no attempt to apprehend any of them and before they are out of sight the vendors are back arranging their goods. If the police really wanted to do something about this they could just come at then from both ends of the street, everybody knows where they are, but I suppose it would be too much of an effort and probably too much paperwork. It would also fill up the police cells pretty quickly.

  27. Tom
    Flame

    Can you whistle, 'cos you can't sing.

    Oh, the Grand Old Filesharer,

    He had ten thousand files

    He served them up to the top of the list

    so I and thee could download once again.

    When they were up, they were up

    and when they were down, they were down

    and when they were only halfway through

    the USA would attempt to take them down.

  28. Ihre Papiere Bitte!!
    Stop

    Another Canadian saying ODSTFU to the Yanks...

    Seriously. They complain because our drug laws don't conform to what they want, they complain because our copyright laws don't conform to what they want, they complain because our Thought Police laws don't conform to what they want, hell, they even complained when a lot of New Yorkers were crossing the border to Ontario to fill up with cheaper petrol!

    Message to America: Canada, and all other countries across the world, have more serious issues than looking after US interests at our own cost. Your broken industries are not our problem.

  29. Ian

    Yes...

    "The caucus claims digital technology "holds the promise of a golden age for movies, music, video games and other forms of entertainment" and are key to American economic growth."

    And their in lies their response - why the fuck should they care about American economic growth at the expense of their own economic growth which is improved by allowing piracy due to people having free access to all the knowledge they require and the services that are created by helping provide access to that?

    The only reason piracy upsets America is because it has more to lose and everyone else has plenty to gain from it - overall it's of net benefit to the world, the US is just scared shitless of not being able to unilaterally act in the world anymore.

    Really, my heart bleeds.

  30. Sean Nevin

    g-O Canada!

    Canada has a tax imposed on the sale of blank media, supposedly to offset the money "lost" by media companies due to piracy.

    When those companies lobbied to push privacy invading legislation, our government told them to sod off, saying that their "losses" were offset by the tax that they themselves pushed for.

    While piracy is not technically legal here, no one is going to bother a home user for downloading anything.

    Besides, I can't find the music I like in stores, and I'm sure as hell not giving my money to Amazon. (They give most of their "charitable" donations to the Republican party)

  31. Svein Skogen
    Happy

    Oh, think of the poor musicians!

    That's the argument, isn't it?

    "Piracy hurts people", etc.

    There's something to ponder. What about a law change stating that only real flesh+blood persons can hold a copyright, not corporations? This would mean that the actual creator of the artwork would get paid. Those greedy inbetweens who were used to siphoning off 99% of the sale value for the "privilege" of distribution are now facing extinction. And like a cornered beast they are fighting desperately, because they _KNOW_ their time has come. The only way they have of surviving, is by getting laws to protect them like animals threatened by extinction.

    Let the vultures have them. Let them turn to oil. Good riddance.

    //Svein

  32. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    RE: Troll

    "Freetards can't go fuck themselves generally, there isn't any argument that can support the idea that stealing from someone is okay. This pretense that large corporates like Microsoft and Sony are the only victims rather than individuals is just bullshit."

    Hmmm, "Someone" I didn't know Sony BMG was a person!, Oh I'm sorry what Individuals are hurt by Piracy? Musicians you say !? Erm sorry to inform you but Musicians usually don't hold the rigths to their work.

    Have a Nice Day now .

  33. David Hicks
    Thumb Down

    And where's the far east?

    Where are Singapore, Hong-Kong, Thailand. Malaysia, Indonesia etc?

    In these places you got into a shopping mall and head to a movie or games store and they're both shocked and unable to help you if you have the tenacity to ask for an original of a movie, album or game. That's above and beyond internet piracy if you ask me.

  34. Frumious Bandersnatch
    Joke

    so what you're saying ...

    is that you could make more money with a flop?

  35. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Conversely

    "Conversely," stated Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, "counterfeiting and piracy cripple growth and stifle innovation .. some believe that if they find it on the Internet then it must be free. We must stop this destructive mindset."

    No, what stifle 'innovation' is a monopoly, and government kickbacks .. :)

    Also said ..

    “If we can find some way to do this without destroying their [people illegally downloading music] machines, we'd be interested in hearing about that. If that's the only way, then I'm all for destroying their machines.”

    http://www.prisonplanet.com/gop-senator-orrin-hatchs-charity-tied-to-massive-pharmaceutical-donations.html

  36. Anonymous Coward
    Pirate

    Sigh...

    This is why the US of A always makes jokes on or of Canada these days since were all so much better at handling issues they aren't capable of. Sad they even pick on neighboring countries such as Canadians. If piracy is such a risk here, they should attack the root of the issue by checking shipments coming from China to Canada because the growth of asians of various types are growing and no real way to control them. They bring all the free pirated content from there to here so it really isn't our issue alone. Just more reasons we don't need to pick on others to have to prove to ourselves were better than most. Even our economy is fairing way better and our banks working. When you Americans get off your lazy butts and start riding of all the corrupt and greedy officials roaming your country, come talk to us. You've turned yourselves into the land of the free/opportunity into a hell hole.

  37. Anonymous Coward
    Alert

    Spanish Levy

    Yep, here in Spain, I bought a backup hard disk for my photos and got hit with a 12 euro levy, because, as previous posters commented, the disk is *capable* of storing MP3s. I only started downloading after that experience - if I'm going to be labelled a pirate, and what's more *punished* for it, well.. ahar me hearties!

  38. Lennart Sorensen
    Dead Vulture

    Well OK, with some conditions.

    Well being in Canada, I must admit I haven't really noticed much copyright infringement going on, unless you go to one of the Asian market places where there seems to be plenty. Certainly some takes place, but hey isn't that why we pay a stupid tax on media that we have no intention of using for anything other than our own data?

    So if the MPAA and RIAA want things there way, then we want some things too:

    Don't ever call copyright infringement theft. Theft is something that applies to physical property, not making copies of things. That's the whole idea of copyright. The right to control copying. Don't call it piracy. Piracy again has to do with theft, and this is not theft, it is copyright infringement. Calling it theft and treating all your potential customers as thieves just makes them angry at you. Angry customers stop being customers.

    Don't tax us for something we might do but generally do not do. So get rid of all levy's on media.

    Make fair use possible. After all isn't that part of the deal in copyright? CSS, AACS, securom, and all the other DRM systems do nothing to prevent copyright infringement by the criminals that want to do it since they just make raw copies of the discs (encryption and keys and all). It only hurts the paying customer that legitimately bought a copy and is now prevented from enjoying it. See note about angry customers above.

    Most people have no problem paying for stuff if they like it, want it, and can actually use it in the way they like. I have bought lots of CDs and DVDs and games and enjoy them. I have no interest in buying blueray discs because I would be unable to actually use them in any convenient manner. DVDs are only useful because the DRM was so poorly done that it ended up not actually being an inconvenience in the end.

    If you want to make money, sell us stuff we want in in a way we want it. Simple capitalism really. Make stuff customers will pay for and you make money. Make stuff they don't want and they won't pay money for it. They might find other ways to get what they do want though and you won't make any money when they do.

  39. John Smith Gold badge
    Alien

    Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus

    Guess the Merkins now know who the RIAA & friends have been contributing to lately.

    Hope someone's copied a list of the honourable gentlemen.

    Will anyone be surprised if at least a few of them turn up as fans and sponsors of that model of fairness and justice, the DCMA?

    There world view is clearly "alien"

  40. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    Down with intelectual property!

    "Unfortunately, some believe that if they find it on the Internet then it must be free".

    Right. We are on a crusade against that absurd concept of intellectual property: robbing a thief is not just a right but a moral duty.

    "The report claims P2P piracy in Spain is "widely perceived as an acceptable cultural phenomenon" and that government policy has essentially decriminalized illicit P2P file sharing.

    "It goes on to complain that Spanish ISPs are unwilling to collaborate in "the fight against Internet piracy," and are promoting their file sharing and downloading service capabilities to win customers". .

    Probably true and they can send the marines if they don't like it. If the bankers or Bill Gates cheat all the time, why not the public? Or are we supposed to be dumber than the smartasses in power? Again: who robs a thief...

    Sadly autocratic leaders like Sarkozy are setting dangerous precedents, pretending that the alleged rights of hyper-wealthy multinational coroporations are more important than the right of citizens to internet access. This can only have a solution: nationalize anyone who cries "copyright!, patent!", starting by Microsoft. And I mean to nationalize without compensation their intellectual property first of all - intelectual is surely not the best term anyhow. And whoever doesn't like that, I think there are still guillotines in good use...

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