Canada's latest copyright bill has earned plenty of criticism for its harsh restrictions on digital locks and online file sharing. At least one group, however, thinks that the bill is too permissive. This week, the English-language performers' union ACTRA (the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Arts) went to Ottawa to lobby against the bill's lenient stance on mashups.
As previously noted, C-11 (known previously as Bill C-32) allows Canadians to incorporate and mix together other artists' work into their own, so long as the material is legally acquired and is not for commercial use. In other words, it's legal for YouTube users to mix together a bunch of clips and post the results online.
Genie-winning actress Leah Pinsent (The Bay Boy, Rick Mercer's Made in Canada) is at the front of the charge against this mashup provision. The Globe and Mail [via Michael Geist] reports that Pinsent is arguing that mashups are "morally wrong" and should be considered plagiarism.
Presumably, the members of ACTRA don't like the idea that their work can be incorporated by other artists and published on the internet for all to see. If the explosion of YouTube has taught us anything, however, it's that harsher laws aren't likely to stop people from creating and publishing their mashup videos online.
As previously noted, C-11 (known previously as Bill C-32) allows Canadians to incorporate and mix together other artists' work into their own, so long as the material is legally acquired and is not for commercial use. In other words, it's legal for YouTube users to mix together a bunch of clips and post the results online.
Genie-winning actress Leah Pinsent (The Bay Boy, Rick Mercer's Made in Canada) is at the front of the charge against this mashup provision. The Globe and Mail [via Michael Geist] reports that Pinsent is arguing that mashups are "morally wrong" and should be considered plagiarism.
Presumably, the members of ACTRA don't like the idea that their work can be incorporated by other artists and published on the internet for all to see. If the explosion of YouTube has taught us anything, however, it's that harsher laws aren't likely to stop people from creating and publishing their mashup videos online.
