(User Friendly via Boing Boing)

Next week, an elusive Canadian minister has plans to saddle Canada with a horrendously stupid piece of legislation designed to placate people who aren't Canadian, but have lots of money to throw around Ottawa. Despite the last two ministers attempting to do so getting their asses fired, this guy wants to take another shot at DMCA, Canadian-style.

Apparently, our style is to do things exactly the same as the United States, but a lot worse, and refuse to learn from past mistakes. Also, make sure you can't change anything for at least ten years. Smart stuff.

From Boing Boing:

If this law passes, it will mean that as soon as a device has any anti-copying stuff in it (say, a Vista PC, a set-top cable box, a console, an iPod, a Kindle, etc), it will be illegal for Canadians to modify it, improve it, or make products that interact with it unless they have permission from the (almost always US-based) manufacturer. This puts the whole Canadian tech industry at the mercy of the US industry, unable to innovate or start new businesses that interact with the existing pool of devices and media without getting a license from the States.

If this law passes, it will render all of the made-in-Canada exceptions to copyright for education, archiving, free speech and personal use will be irrelevant: if a technology has a lock that prohibits a use, your right to make that use falls by the wayside. Nevermind that you've got the right to record a show to watch later -- or to record a politician's speech so you can hold him to account later -- the policeman in the device can take that right away with no appeal.

Boy oh boy, if I actually voted for my MP, and knew who he/she was, they'd be getting an e-mail from me about it.

I kid. I'm pretty sure she's a woman.

(Seriously though, go harass your MP. This thing is retarded.)