Blame Canada

[greatbear]

I read here that Hollywood claims that 50 percent of all pirated movies originate from Canada. Reasons given for this vary from the Canadian copyright laws being too lax, to the multilingual releases found in Montreal and Quebec having a broader demand worldwide. Movie industry types complain that "internal policies of police forces including the RCMP, make it extremely difficult for them to crack down on movie piracy".

I am assuming that Canadian theatregoers would not appreciate those broad-brimmed RCMP hats blocking their view of the screen, and the horses would be a distracting and wanting popcorn handouts.

Jesus T. Cruise, people. While I am all for artists and performers as well as their industries and backers getting what is due to them, I see their 'war on piracy' to be about as effective as the dubious 'war on drugs'. Quite often the source of pirated movies come not from the camcordered tapes from theatergoers, but quite often are DVD 'screeners' sent out to reviewers and industry types. In short, their own back yard. What truly gets me, especially in the U.S., is how much the industry coddles up to the government to created draconian laws for minor infractions and uses the notion of fighting piracy as a caliper to quietly push for regulations and technical measures designed solely to limit what honest, paying consumers can do with the media they own. At the rate things are going, one will have to charge admission to people other than direct family members who get invited over to their friend's homes for a movie night. These fees, of course, will have to be sent directly to the movie indsutries themselves to recover from 'lost revenue'.

Mark my words. Your TiVo will one day charge you to use the 'rewind' button.

This whole ordeal makes me wonder... Do Canadian pirates say "Aaarrrrrhhh" like 'standard' pirates do, or is it more like "Eeehhhhhhh...rrrrr"? ;)

Comments

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

I cannot help but feel that this latest accusation is a push by the industry to get back at Canada's levy conundrum. Having the tax on all blank media kinda takes the edge off the industry arguments. Even here any music-only CD recorder (an audio-only component) needs to use 'music' CDs that are differentiated by a higher price and a code on the blank saying it's compliant with the player. These have mostly fallen by the wayside as people are using computers almost exclusively for their audio CD recording and creation now. The music blanks are not necessary. Curioously, a DVD recorder (component) does not require levied media, despite it's use to often record copyrighted television broadcasts.

I have to say that of all places I've been, Manhattan is pirate movie central.

[bitterlawngnome.livejournal.com]

Arrrr, aboot face, maytee.

[notdefined.livejournal.com]

Now why do you want him to turn around?.......OHHHHHHHHH........ clever! :)

[notdefined.livejournal.com]

I think it is pretty rampant in any major metropolitan area. While we are only a fraction of the size of Manhattan, young fellows are in the street markets and on the corners selling pirated CD's and DVD's and some of the 'wall stores' in the less 'visited' areas of the city have shelves full of them. The odd thing is that this all goes about in full view of anyone who may happen by, including law enforcement. In the USofA, orgs like the RIAA and MPAA take the tact that if they perceive they are loosing money due to activity that is not illegal, then get congress to pass a law, like the DMCA that makes it illegal and if their methods used to hunt down 'suspects' are illegal, use the illegal tactics of this administration to make them appear legal. I no longer buy CD's or DVD's. If I can't see it on the television or movie house or download it from iTunes, one song at a time, I do without!

[fingertrouble.livejournal.com]

Damn, he just aboot got that oot there first, eh.

[bitterlawngnome.livejournal.com]

Arrr, pass the back bacon.

[danthered.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's us, we're a nation of pirates and terrorists and porous borders and pot and dangerously good beer. And back bacon.

[fingertrouble.livejournal.com]

And homo milk.

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

I have one thing to say:

HDMI and HDCP coupled with HDDVD and Blue Ray.

These technologies make it almost impossible to watch a high-def video *in high-def*. However, those who decide they want to "steal" the videos, can watch them on anything they want.

It will only get worse. The film industry hasn't figured out what the music industry is *just* starting to understand. DRM only hurts the "honest consumer".