What does China, Canada, and Russia all have in common? If you said copious wheat production, you're right. But they also have something else in common: the scorn of the IIPA. Who is the IIPA you ask? The IIPA is the International Intellectual Property Alliance. Don't know who they are? They are the combination of MPAA, RIAA, BSA and several other powerful trade organizations that represent the interests of the entertainment industry.

In the middle of the copyright debate is Canada - a land that by default has become more P2P friendly than Sweden. No one has ever been sued for distribution in Canada - let alone downloading - and the BitTorrent site isoHunt roams free. Sounds like a pretty decent place, unless you're the IIPA.

Today, the IIPA filed a recommendation with the US Trade Representative in an effort to "stem copyright theft and protect American jobs". They named several countries they feel should remain on the "Priority Watch List". This list is part of the annual Special 301 Report that gauges the level of intellectual property and copyright enforcement around the world. Although Russia and China were both recommended to remain on the list, Canada took most of the heat.

Their major gripe with Canada is the apparent lack of progress on copyright reform now that we've moved into the digital age. Perhaps Canada is taking a 'wait and see' approach, as France, the UK, Italy, and Australia are all struggling to find some way to balance the needs of the entertainment industry with that of the people.

"Canada merits continued placement on the Priority Watch List. Canada has taken no meaningful steps toward modernizing its copyright law to meet the global minimum standards of the WIPO Internet Treaties, which it signed more than a decade ago. Over 80 countries have joined these treaties, including the European Union and its member states, and virtually all other OECD members. The government’s top leaders acknowledged many of these deficiencies and announced their intention to reform the copyright law over three years ago. Yet today there is not even a reform bill pending in the Canadian parliament."

The US Trade Representative publishes the report late April - we'll see if Canada remains on the list.

Date: 2010-02-18 Source: http://www.slyck.com/news.php?story=1914