US Ambassador to Canada speaks about piracy

US Ambassador to Canada speaks about piracy
Last month, the US Ambassador to Canada, David Wilkins, told the Empire Club that CDN IP piracy was costing the Canadian economy up to $30 Billion a year. Here was his full quote:


And we are working with the Canadian government now on that issue. We have met with Ministers Bernier and Oda and members of the Prime Minister's staff and we are requesting a stronger copyright bill be introduced and be passed.



We are joined by the U.S. and Canadian motion picture and sound recording and computer software industries. Right now the copyright laws or the intellectual property right protection in Canada is considered the weakest of the G-7 countries. So we are asking that be strengthened.

And it really does cost the Canadian economy a huge amount every year. It is estimated to be from some $10 to $30 billion per year.


Yesterday however, the CBC reported that Canadians spend almost $21 billion a year on prescription drugs, a figure that is the third highest per capita in the world behind the US and France.

So if we are to compare these numbers, then it seems that either Canadians engage in piracy that is worth almost $10 billion more than their prescription drug expenditures or maybe that the Ambassador overexaggerated, and by alot, in another ploy to get regular consumers to believe that piracy is more "evil" than it really is.

Source:
P2Pnet

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 28 May 2007 15:55
Advertisement - News comments available below the ad
  • 12 comments

  • borhan9

    Canada is having the French resistance. Go Canada :)

    28.5.2007 16:01 #1

  • domie

    The USA has always traditionally tried to swing its fat belly over Canada to influence their politics and economics in the USA's favour, exactly as they do with the rest of the world.

    Frustratingly for the USA, Canada isn't in Central or South America so until now they have been unable to use the CIA to fund and arm a right-wing military dictatorship to overthrow the democratic government to do their bidding.

    Fortunately, until now, Canada has had the intelligence to politely tell them to *%$£ off and put their own house in order first, hopefully they will continue especially after this loathsome lacky whitehouse slug's ridiculous $ 30 billion statement.

    I would love to know how he arrives at that figure other than being told to say it by Bush and Cheney advisors.

    28.5.2007 16:07 #2

  • fungyo

    More likely it is the failing business models of the entertainment industry and their continued approach of screwing the consumer, that is the real issue here.

    I don't understand how piracy costs the Canadian economy any money at all. Sure they might not be increasing profits but I fail to see how or where the cost comes from.

    Another thing... i'm pretty sure most IP is owned by US companies, so it would be more likely that it is the US economy that is being effected and not so much Canada's.

    I to would like to know where they get there money figures from. So far I have never ever seen any proof to the insane amounts of money that it apparently costs the industry or economy.

    28.5.2007 18:04 #3

  • duckNrun

    Originally posted by fungyo:

    I to would like to know where they get there money figures from. So far I have never ever seen any proof to the insane amounts of money that it apparently costs the industry or economy.    These figures are pulled out of the same place they have their heads... up their a$$es.

    I find it so unbelievable that piracy amounts to 1.5 times the amount that they spend on meds. I've said it before and i'll say it again: hell is definately going to be a crowded placed, I hope these execs like it hot! lol

    28.5.2007 19:44 #4

  • matt87622

    i think the US should have more important things to worry about then influencing Canada's policy on piracy.

    29.5.2007 06:23 #5

  • MightyOne

    My opinion only....

    Canada is not the source of the downloading. Some of us might be taking what we can get for free...but in General...the filesharing servers and trackers/etc...are generally "Out of the Country"

    So go pick on them.....and when u get the big players...you will only make the pirates resort to smaller underground FTP sites via VPN Lans etc...

    It will never stop. The only solution is to make piracy unattractive or not really worth it.

    29.5.2007 07:15 #6

  • georgeluv

    so he claims it costs 30 bil a year,

    but no mention of how reproducing copywritten goods with no cost actualy adds bilions to an economy ;)

    id love to see that dude speak in front of a group of people who actualy passed microecon

    29.5.2007 11:17 #7

  • southrb

    Perhaps G.W. could partially reimburse them from the ILLEGAL tariffs that the U>S>A imposed on pulp lumber from Canada that he refuses to pay back. With friends like that who needs enemies. Oh by the way George, I found the weapons of mass destruction--they are in the U.S.A--The only country that has used atomic weapons in war.

    31.5.2007 10:21 #8

  • afbosch

    i live in canada, born and raise,and i find it funny how the usa govt can come up with fique and fact from thin air, but then ther are good at that. justy look at iraq, and mass wespon that did not exist,
    on post wrote that usa should pay canada back for the illegel tax on lumber, we then did pay but only 3/4 of it ther keep over one billion dollar of it

    here in canada, we have a different set of law,, and usa has no buiness tell us what to do, other then clean up tehr own country,
    for people that do not know her in canada we pay a Private Copying Levy of 21 cents per CD-R. that goes to the music co for payment becuse of people that save music to Cd

    i also find it funny that the real piracy are wearing a couple hundred suit

    31.5.2007 11:16 #9

  • Lloyd7

    Cops often proudly overstate and advertise, by huge amounts, the "worth" of their drug busts and politicians often overstate anything they're lobbied enough to care about, as in our case at hand.

    Don't these idiots realize that by their lying they are legitimizing inappropriate behaviors in others?

    If he can lie, then why can't I.............

    But the one in authority bears the greater guilt because of his position.

    31.5.2007 22:00 #10

  • kutulu1

    I think the only real piracy going on right now is the Bush jr. and Blair lie about W.O.M.D. The hypocrites should go look in the mirror after they make out with each other. How many billions do they spend on their own W.O.M.D. This is real piracy. Not downloading.

    1.6.2007 00:34 #11

  • MIKYPLUM

    AS USUAL THE YANKS, ALONG WTH THEIR BIG MOUTHS AND BULLY TACTICS,THINK THAT THEY OWN THE WORLD, AND IT IS THEIRS ALONE AND SOD OFF TO EVERYONE ELSE, TO THINK OTHERWISE

    1.6.2007 10:28 #12

© 2024 AfterDawn Oy

Hosted by
Powered by UpCloud