According to a study conducted by Wiggin, a firm of media lawyers specialized in film, music, sport, gaming, technology, broadcast and publishing law, 70 percent of all people polled said they would stop illegally sharing files if their ISP notified them in some way that it had detected the practice.

ISPs in the United Kingdom have their backs against the wall, as the government is preparing legislation which would demand they police their own networks as a way to combat copyright infringement. Of course, polls results like this one only add more arguments in favour of the government.

However, still according to the survey, most people figure they won’t get nabbed in the first place. In fact, 68 percent of respondents felt that it’s “very unlikely I will be caught” using P2P software. Not to mention that more than half of them also figured the penalties were minor.

It would be very interesting to see the results of this same question submitted to Canadians users.

Ars Technica: Survey: warnings from ISPs could slash file-swapping by 70%

Sides chosen in royalty tussle

• The RIAA wants to lower royalties paid out to the artists from the present rate of 9 cents per song — about 13% of the wholesale price — down to 8% of wholesale. What’s this about wanting to protect the artists, again?

Microsoft Misleads on Copyright Reform

• Microsoft says there are no laws in Canada to protect creators, despite receiving the highest statutory damages awards in Canadian copyright history.

IFPI Forces Danish ISP to Block The Pirate Bay

• The free and open Internet continues to slowly be choked as a Danish court has forced a major telecom to block all Internet access to The Pirate Bay BitTorrent tracker.

Educational Use of the Internet Amendment: Is it Necessary?

• Fascinating thoughts on just how many questions can be raised if the copyright law is amended for educational requirements instead of adjusting the legislation’s language from the get-go.

Blind people in Canada don’t like the idea of Jim Prentice’s copyright bill.

The Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians, an organisation which serves to “increase awareness of rights and responsibilities, so blind, deaf-blind and partially sighted individuals can have equal access to the benefits and opportunities of society,” has issued a letter to the Industry Minister outlining their concerns about the copyright bill.

“For years, Canadians who are blind, deaf-blind and partially sighted have been seeking greater and not reduced access to print information, whether it be on websites or in print documents. We do, therefore, view with grave concern any move that might further restrict opportunities for providing copies of works in the individual’s preferred format.”

It’s entirely legitimate that they be worried.

Two More Opponents of Prentice's Canadian DMCA

Alleged movie pirate Geremi Adam misses Montreal court date, warrant issued

• What’s really sad is that he got busted for taping How To Eat Fried Worms and Invincible. At least go down for some good flicks.

U2 manager takes Internet providers to task

• I guess it’s classier to have your manager fire the shots.

Canadian MP - Debate WIPO Before Copyright Ratification

• Leave it to the NDP to keep the government in line.

Court delivers a blow to record companies on internet piracy

• A blow to record companies is a win for online privacy

Verizon: We don’t want to play copyright cop on our network

• It’s nice to know there’s still possibilities for filter-free surfing.

Copy a CD, owe $1.5 million under “gluttonous” PRO-IP Act

• $1.5 million for a ten-song CD, copied once? As the article wonders: “Sound fair? Proportional? Necessary? Not really, but that doesn’t mean it won’t become law.”

In the ongoing battle to keep Canadian copyright reform from turning into American-inspired, lobbyist-driven DMCA-style legislation, Michael Geist has made a series of principles, a “wishlist” if you may, which he feels need to be addressed by the government to ensure that copyright law does not undermine education, free speech, and our rights as Canadian citizens. Can’t say I disagree with him.

If you are new to this issue, are uncertain about certain aspects of it, or simply have a hard time understanding how it affects you and your rights, this is a perfect primer to get on board. Even for someone who has been following the situation, it’s a great way to keep things in perspective.

For instance, I didn’t know an infringing party can be fined up to $20,000 in statutory damages without any real proof of actual loss. Doesn’t that come across as a little more than excessive?

You can also join the Fair Copyright for Canada group on Facebook which have a bunch of useful links (some of which I have linked to from here) and some discussion as well.

Michael Geist - My Fair Copyright for Canada Principles
Facebook | Fair Copyright for Canada