Canadians flocking to anti-DMCA Facebook group; what you can do

How pissed are Canadians about the new copyright bill, Bill C61, which was introduced without any consultation and which makes it a crime to upload clips to YouTube or use a region-free DVD player? Way pissed.

Ten thousand more Canadians signed up for the Fair Copyright for Canada Facebook group in the day following the Bill's introduction, bringing the grand total up to 50,000. Michael Geist has more ways you can show the government what you think of these shenanigans.

1. 1. Write to your MP, the Industry Minister, the Canadian Heritage Minister, and the Prime Minister.  If you send an email, be sure to print it out and drop a copy in the mail (no stamp is needed - c/o House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A0A6).  If you are looking for a sample letter, visit Copyright for Canadians.
2. 2. Take 30 minutes from your summer, to meet directly with your MP.  From late June through much of the summer, your MP will be back in your local community attending local events and making themselves available to meet with constituents.  Give them a call and ask for a meeting.  Every MP in the country should return to Ottawa in the fall having heard from their constituents on this issue.
3. 3. If you are not a member of the Fair Copyright for Canada Facebook group, join.  If you are, consider joining or starting a local chapter and be sure to educate your friends and colleagues about the issue and starting working through the list of 30 things you can do.

Link

• [PMF]

  Let’s be smart about this folks. The government staged the introduction of this bill very carefully and we have to be equally careful not to fall into their trap. On the one hand there are several competing scandals and stories to drown out the criticism and ensure it gets limited play for only a few days and, on the other hand, it is just before a long summer recess.

  The Regressive Conservatives are counting on us making a lot of negative noise right away, then the MPs go away for the summer and when it finally comes up for debate in the fall, it is old news and they will probably have something else sensational planned to ensure it is below the fold.

  This is not something that is going to be defeated by a lot of noise or a Facebook group. Lobbying Tory MPs and government ministers is also futile. Harper works along the same psychology as his ideological big brother, W. He doesn’t back down and never admits that he made a mistake.

  This is only going to be defeated in Parliament with careful lobbying in the right place and at the right time. I believe that we need to lobby every Liberal MP and especially the party leaders with the message that they need to start behaving like Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition on this one and it is worth bringing down the government and fighting an election over. They have to stand up and be counted on this. This is the message to deliver quietly and insistently to every Liberal MP over the summer so their backs will be firm in the fall.

• [Geof]

  No, Midwinterphoto. The government can’t just go after someone because they don’t like their politics. I can’t imagine that group membership even qualifies as evidence. Nevermind the fact the government doesn’t pursue filesharers – rightsholders do.

  And the implication in your post is wrong. Lots of group members don’t engage in filesharing. I don’t.

• [Takuan]

  “30 things you can do” not working

• [Anonymous]

  It never seize to amaze me to what lengths the music and film industry will go in order to defend their obsolete business strategy.

  The web is packed with amazing possibilities and ways to grow and prosper, yet all these people seem to be able to come up with is making it illegal to enjoy, distribute or keep your music and video in any other way than on a disk.

  They are basically outlawing their entire customer base.

• [mmbb]

  psst, canadians are weird. summer doesn’t start here until next week. ;)

  (30 things link back up now, or maybe i’m just better at clicking than takuan is…)

  regardless, those are some impressive numbers regarding citizen outcry and involvement.

• [Shay Guy]

  What if we’re not Canadian?

  They can’t be the only ones concerned about them. Some of us outside Canada are worried too. I’d like to help out somehow, even if I’m not going to be directly affected.

• [phoomp]

  Definitely send an actual letter through snail mail; these old guys don’t trust the Internet, and they think Facebook is “dangerous”.
  http://www.cbc.ca/technology/technology-blog/2008/05/senator_thinks_facebook_is_sca.html

  (no doubt it’s dangerous; no other medium has given voice to so many people and allow them to band together across vast geographic and demographic boundaries)

• [midwinterphoto]

  doesn’t joining the facebook group just give the government a giant list of downloaders to hunt down when the time comes?