Regulation: I Say Yes To The Impossible

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I do not believe in piracy, I think it's wrong and as the book, Free Culture:How Big Media Uses Technology And The Law To Lock Down Culture And Creativity by Lawrence Lessig states, piracy consists of stealing others' creative work which has value to them and which we should only use with permission. That makes sense to me and I have trouble understanding why so many people are so worked-up about this.

It Belongs to Someone

The Internet is filled with junk that isn't copyrighted and to which everyone has access to so why all the fuss about having to dish a little cash to use work that you don't own?

Personally, I think the CRTC has a duty to regulate Internet content in Canada the same way it does Canadian programming on television. It's not like you only get access to Canadian content, but for Canadian artists and Canadians in general, this is a good way of maintaining exposure in a fast growing world market. We live in a great country so why shouldn't we be excited about greater visibility?

Regulating Difficulties

Although I support regulation and greater Canadian content on the Internet, I also realize the difficulties involved in copyright issues as well as the other point-of-view that emphasizes the need for greater free content and access.

Recently, I was watching this story on CTV News about how the government and the CRTC have joined forces with Internet providers to crack-down on Internet piracy by sending letters to users guilty of illegal downloading.

I was pleased to see that some form of tactic for reducing Internet piracy in Canada had taken shape and yet so disappointed to find out how inefficient it actually is.

I may not agree with unauthorized peer 2 peer sharing however, I see that even the CRTC's greatest efforts at regulating the Internet is bound to fail. The Internet's journey is well underway and there's no stopping it now. The Internet wasn't meant to be regulated and most probably will never successfully be regulated. The CRTC has done a lot...just a lot too late.

Despite the outcome, bashing the CRTC and it's purpose does nothing more than undermine the richness and wealth found in the Canadian heritage and culture. The CRTC plays a significant role in the promotion of this country. Its relevance today might be open to debate but it should never be attacked. As Canadians, the CRTC has served us well.