From:	 Gary Lawrence Murphy <garym@canada.com>
To:	 dmarti@zgp.org, chris@dibona.com, bruce@perens.com
Subject: FYI: Call for Action on Canadian Copyright Reform
Date:	 25 Jul 2001 17:00:40 -0400
Cc:	 letters@lwn.net

[ fyi, posted at http://www.teledyn.com/story.php?storyid=2001/7/24/102 ]

Dear Opensource Collegues,

Industry Canada has just put out a Call for Comment over reforms to
our Copyright Act to become our new digital copyright laws. These
reforms have a the stated intent of "prevent[ing] the circumvention of
technologies used to protect copyright material" ... among other
purposes. That sounds like DMCA to me.

        http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/rp01100e.html

I know Canadian activism may seem a contradiction in terms, but in
this case, it requires our characteristic politeness and protocol. We
have our chance to make a difference, but only if we react in a
seasoned and respectable way.

But this does not mean "contact your MP and whine"; it does not mean
hang out on your favourite blog and bitch about it.

It means "if we play by the rules, we can change the rules."

To be effective in changing these proposals, it is imperative every
Canadian reading this should visit the website, read the posted
proposals (carefully), and submit the necessary documents to Industry
Canada by Sept 15; if you are a student, ensure your
professors/teachers voice their concerns; if you are an employee,
prompt your employer to react.

Non-Canadians reading this can help too. They can do what they can to
ensure their Canadian collegues are aware of the Call for Comment, and
ensure they have the best possible information regarding the
implications of a DMCA-like restriction on reverse-engineering.

Please forward this call to action to your collegues - there is very
little time to prepare our response. With your assistance, we truly
can ensure that the Copyright Act remains "among the most modern and
progressive in the world", as was indeed promised in the January 2001
Speech from the Throne.

Best regards,

Gary Lawrence Murphy
CEO TeleDynamics Communications Inc 
http://www.teledyn.com