There's been some question (okay, one) about whether I'm the same guy who writes for The Escapist. I am, and with that out in the open I'd like to point you toward a recent article that I think is very important to anyone who believes in reasonable, effective copyright in the digital age, and particularly Canadians.
The article, entitled Goodbye Mr. (Mod)Chips, is about Bill C-32, the planned reform of copyright law in Canada. In a nutshell, it's like this: The Conservative government has introduced a bill seeking to update copyright laws in Canada and codify what consumers specifically can and cannot do with their media. It's actually a pretty impressive document and very even-handed in most ways except for one: Virtually all of the many rights it grants consumers are rendered null and void if the publisher attaches some form of "technological protection measure," which is another word for DRM, to the content.
Example: The new law will legally entitle you to make backup copies of software - videogames, say - for personal use. Unless the publisher has "protected" the game with some kind of DRM. Doesn't matter what kind, as long as something is there. If that's the case, then from a legal basis you're screwed; your right to backup your game is trumped by the law against breaking technological protection measures.
The law hasn't passed yet so there's still a chance to force changes that would make it a more balanced approach to copyright, which would actually be a relatively simple thing to do. It's a big deal, and I think anyone who cares about copyright (which should be all of us, given what we do here) should at the very least be paying attention to what's being done.
I'm not big on shameless self-promotion but if this does strike a chord with you, reading the article would be a good place to start. Follow up from there as you see fit. And if you think this is an important issue, as I do, then step up and get involved.
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