The Government of India has just introduced a major new copyright reform package. Of particular note from a Canadian perspective are the approaches to fair dealing and anti-circumvention. On fair dealing, the provision is expanded to cover "private and personal use." On anti-circumvention, the bill is consistent with implementing the WIPO Internet treaties in a manner that retains equal rights both online and offline. The provision specifically targets circumvention for the purposes of copyright infringement and does not target the distribution or marketing of devices that can be used to circumvent.
India Introduces Major Copyright Reform Bill
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Explicit fair dealing provisions that exempt a person from liability for circumventing DRM are, to the best of my knowledge, quite possibly the only sane way to satisfy the pressures for countries to have anti-circumvention provisions in their copyright laws at all, while still remaining a free nation that embraces healthy competition. I strongly hope Canada does likewise. To not do so while adopting any anticircumvention provisions is to basically render null and void any fair dealing provisions that country may have formerly had, as an increasing quantity of material gets stored digitally, making any laws that do not apply to digital goods less and less relevant.
Draft Bill Propostion on Civil Rights Framework for Internet in Brazil
Hi, Michael.
This is a great piece of news not only for India, but for the world. And in a parallel, we in Brazilian government are trying to do something about the Internet, in order to grant freemdons and liberties.
Please, would you be so nice to take a look at it?
Thanks already.
Draft Bill Propostion on Civil Rights Framework for Internet in Brazil
The link (the html code was not accepted):
http://culturadigital.br/marcocivil/2010/04/20/draft-bill-propostion-on-civil-rights-framework-for-internet-in-brazil/
It may be that some of the changes in India’s copyright bill are good,
but it does not deserve unreserved praise. Any new prohibition
against breaking digital handcuffs is a change for the worse, and
cannot be justified. If a WIPO treaty “requires” this, that’s merely
a reason to reject the treaty.