"You know, they're schemers. Schemers trying to control their little worlds. I'm not a schemer. I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control things really are. Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos."
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) today put Canada on its "Priority Watch List" for "failure to maintain effective intellectual property protection and enforcement". Naturally, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is all for it, following recommendations made by it and other industries which "depend on strong intellectual property protection" (they got a fever and the only cure is more property protection, if you will).
“Putting Canada on the ‘Priority Watch List’ is a signal of the Obama Administration’s commitment to strengthening global intellectual property protection, and its intent to address this issue firmly with the Canadian government,” said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA, which represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. “Canada’s weak laws and enforcement practices foster game piracy in the Canadian market and pave the way for unlawful imports into the U.S.”
Unlawful imports? Keeping in mind we strongly promote the idea of gamers and music fans and such paying for the creator's work if they like it (assuming it has no DRM), Gallagher: people here almost exclusively use the Internet to pirate. Have been for a long time. There's virtually no such thing as "unlawful imports" when it comes to pirated goods in North America.
“Canada contributes significantly to the development of today’s leading games", he hoted. "[It's] creating thousands of high-paying jobs along the way. We are eager to see Canada become a full partner in protecting these products on the way to market."
A necessary part of the process, they feel, has been "repeatedly called on [the country] to remedy the legal and enforcement deficiencies in its intellectual property regime", Canada always responding with a resounding "ehh". Here are their demands:
* Enact legislation outlawing game circumvention devices, such as “mod chips” and “game copiers,” in line with Canada’s international treaty obligations;
* Create adequate legal incentives for internet service providers (ISPs) to work with copyright owners in combating online piracy;
* Provide Customs officials with adequate authority to make ex officio seizures of counterfeit and pirate product at the border; and,
* Provide adequate resources to anti-piracy enforcement efforts and make prosecution of intellectual property crimes a high priority.
Canada is one of 11 other countries added to the watch list, including China, Russia, India and Thailand.
In a speech today to the Institute for Policy Innovation’s Fourth Annual World Intellectual Property Day Forum in Washington, DC, Gallagher lauded the Obama Administration for its committments on these fronts, stating, “The steps this Administration takes to promote intellectual property protection and expand E-commerce drive innovation and contribute to job growth. They benefit small to medium sized businesses as well as larger enterprises, and contribute directly to aiding our economic recovery."
