From: gmug7@netscape.net   
      
   Subject:    [B-SAN] Want to help make the Internet an election issue?   
     Date:    5/24/2004 11:55:51 PM Eastern Daylight Time   
      
     To:    BSAN-l@list.web.net   
      
   **Brampton Social Action Network - See Activists' Tool Box Below **   
   Want to help make the Internet an election issue?   
      
   Past Canadian parliaments have been working to regulate the Internet   
   without   
   an adequate understanding of it, with the expected result being   
   considerable   
   harmful unintended consequences.  The May 12, 2004 Interim Report on   
   Copyright Reform from Heritage Committee is an example of the problem.   
   The   
   report recommends applying a levy to all information on the Internet   
   that   
   does not explicitly indicate a royalty-free copyright license.  This is   
   extremely inappropriate for the Internet where the default has always   
   been   
   understood to be royalty-free, with the minority who wanted to charge   
   royalties expected to set up appropriate e-Commerce features on their   
   own   
   websites   
      
    In the same report they continue to push to fast-track importing a   
   US-style Digital Millennium Copyright Act into Canada, with all the harm   
   to   
   Canadian creativity and innovation that would result.   
      
    Internet-aware citizens who want to work on Internet and copyright   
   reform   
   issues during the election are invited to check out the new Digital   
   Copyright Canada election website at http://digital-copyright.ca/ .  We   
   have   
   set up tools to allow people in all of the 308 new ridings to discuss   
   candidates and their positions on critical Internet, creativity and   
   innovation policy.   
      
    Please join us and help ensure that the next parliament will not   
   continue   
   with the poor direction of the past.   
   --   
   Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant:    
      
   Open letters with Susan Crean http://www.flora.ca/creators/  Petition   
   for   
   Users' Rights, Protect Internet creativity and innovation   
      
         Election 2004: http://digital-copyright.ca/   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)