We are concerned with the upcoming implementation of Bill C-11, The Copyright Modernization Act, by the Conservative Government. Although Bill C-11 seems to be closer to its goal to providing a fair balance of consumer and creator rights than the previous attempts at copyright policy improvements, the strict anti-circumvention provisions outlined in this Bill suggest otherwise. As Canadians, we are concerned that our constitutional rights are being disregarded in that this bill essentially hands over power to corporations to decide and dictate our online behaviour. The anti-circumvention provisions in Bill C-11 will give corporate copyright owners an authority that can be used to control Canadians’ personal interaction with media-including technology we own. With the power in the hands of corporations to place digital locks on their material, there is a risk that the flow of information and resources is put into the hands of companies with only their own corporate interests in mind, neglecting consumer rights. There needs to be regulation on how digital locks are implemented to ensure they are not simply used to deny user rights. We suggest there be more transparency in laws, so that when a Canadian enters a website, they are immediately presented with the way in which they are allowed to use the information, so there is no confusion and unfair penalty. This would permit Canadian consumers to make informed decisions about the products they purchase so they can know what rights they can expect to have.

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