(June 5, 2008, Ottawa, Ontario) Members of a large coalition of Canadian consumer advocates released an open letter today to Canada’s ministers responsible for Canadian copyright policy. This letter is concerning a White Paper on Canadian Consumer Copyright policy the groups have published. White Paper participants include Option consommateurs, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC), and the grassroots digital activism organization, Online Rights Canada.
David Fewer, staff counsel for CIPPIC, explains the rationale behind the White Paper. “Industry Minister Jim Prentice has stated that the government’s copyright bill will balance the interests of copyright owners with those of consumers. Yet, astonishingly, the government has not consulted with a single consumer group to determine how to do this. We have decided to come forward on our own, then, with a vision of copyright that puts Canadians’ interests first.”
“This White Paper sets the standard against which any government copyright bill will be judged,” says John Lawford, a staff lawyer with PIAC. “We have therefore brought Canadian consumers’ views to the government.”
The consumer groups offering the Canadian Consumer Copyright White Paper are part of a larger coalition of consumer groups that have indicated that they will champion consumer interests in the coming debate over the proper scope of Canadian digital copyright laws.
For More Information, see:
The Canadian Consumers Copyright White Paper:
Canadian Consumers Copyright White Paper
About PIAC
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) is a non-profit organization that provides legal and research services on behalf of consumer interests, and, in particular, vulnerable consumer interests, concerning the provision of important public services.
For More Information, Contact:
PIAC
John Lawford
Staff Counsel, Public Interest Advocacy Centre
Ph: (613)562-4002 x25
CIPPIC
David Fewer
Staff Counsel, Canadian Internet Policy & Public Interest Clinic
Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa
Ph: (613)562-5800×2553