Canada to be blacklisted?

Counting Apple, Microsoft and Paramount among its members, a consortium of US corporations wants Canada put on a intellectual property "blacklist," according to Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail. The International Intellectual Property Alliance charges that Canada is a haven for piracy, and that as a result, America's government should place the country on a "priority watchlist" alongside China, Russia, Indonesia and others. Specifically, the IIPA believes that Canada's Conservative leadership is doing nothing to stem a flow of console mod chips and bootlegged movies. "The problem of unauthorized camcording of films in Canadian theatres is now nearing crisis levels," reads a statement from the group, which also argues that in 2006, as much as a quarter of all pirated movies were created in Canada.

Canada must regiment its laws to fit those of the US and similarly strict countries, according to the IIPA. Mod chips are not technically illegal in Canada, nor are many tools which may used for piracy. Because of this, the IIPA says that gangs such as the Hells Angels and the Big Circle Boys are able to make considerable profit in illegal export. "Canada remains far behind virtually all of its peers in the industrialized world with respect to its efforts to bring its copyright laws up to date with the realities of the global digital networked environment," the statement continues.

By Electronista Staff