Access Copyright, a group that collects copyright fees for things like textbooks, put out a curious statement earlier this month in the midst of the latest debate over copyright reform.
“It's a simple fact that users outnumber us,” it read, sounding a bit as if the writer at the keyboard was peering anxiously over his shoulder. “But Canadian users involved in the online debate are so adept at leveraging the Internet and social networks to their advantage, there's a danger that your voices as Canadian creators and publishers will be drowned out by the chatter.”
Never mind the retro oddness of calling people who consume culture “users.” And never mind the double oddness of a group representing writers getting jittery about the presence of too many readers.
If one message came through, it's that “users” are out in force, and that's going to change the equation in ways that still aren't clear.
The Tories are gearing up to release another copyright-reform bill, and they seem determined not to spark the same public-relations debacle that ambushed them in 2007.
At the time, when word spread the then-Industry minister had cooked up a new copyright act behind closed doors, the Internet caught fire and a very well-publicized outcry ensued.
The lack of consultation was one bone of contention; another was the perception that the bill was unduly restrictive, especially for the tastes of those “users.” (Cultural groups, on the other hand, generally quite liked the protections it afforded.)
The bill eventually died on the table when the last election was called, and the debate's key questions are up for grabs again. Should people be allowed to break digital locks, even for completely legal purposes? Should “fair dealing” be expanded to give users broad freedom to copy for purposes like satire and reporting? Should the government compel online companies to take down content as soon as someone makes a claim of infringement?
Now the government is talking copyright again, and two interesting things have happened. First, new ministers have taken over the copyright portfolio. (The responsibility is somewhat awkwardly shared by the ministries of Industry and Heritage.) The new guy at Heritage, James Moore, is especially interesting, since he's young – all of 33 years old – and, by all appearances, jacked in.
You might remember him from 2007, when an excitable NDP MP raised a ruckus upon spying Moore looking at pictures of a young woman on his laptop, in parliament. The pictures turned out to be of his girlfriend. This is not a strike against him: It shows that he understands at least some of the important applications of digital technology.
The man was a webmaster before he was an MP, and he tweets like a pro, which is as good as a secret Masonic handshake in certain circles.
It's easy to be cynical about public consultations, but the Tories are doing something worthwhile here. They've given those uppity “users” an opening, and with help from agitators like [Michael] Geist, users have taken it.
In June, Moore stepped up to deliver a speech at a digital economy conference in Ottawa, in which he roundly lambasted older MPs for being out-of-touch with the digital age, and spoke about converging technologies with the kind of glowing generalities that make the digerati's socks roll up and down.
“The old way of doing things is over,” he said. “These things are all now one. And it's great. And it's never been better. And we need to be enthusiastic and embrace these things… The opportunities are unbelievable and unparalleled in human history.”
