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Canadian Sovereignty Reborn?

By Howard Knopf

The apparent will of the Government to block the American takeover of Canada's leading strategic satellite technology funded by almost a half a billion Canadian tax payer dollars is great news. Here's the NY Times take.

Perhaps this Government remembers the forever tarnished legacy left by John Diefenbaker that stuck to the Progressive Conservative party for decades when The Chief canceled the AVRO ARROW aerospace program. This was one of the darkest days in Canadian history - and it happened apparently because President Eisenhower insisted. No other valid reason has ever been advanced.

What does this have to do with copyright?

The obvious question is whether this signals a new will to assert Canadian sovereignly on sensitive files where money and other values that money can't buy suggest that Canadian interests should come first. If so, this Government will win many friends and quite possibly a majority in the next election.

Or, will this Government make this up to the USA by handing it what the American corporate interests and their Canadian lobbying proxies, such as CRIA, want on copyright on a silver platter.

I fear the latter because the Americans are obsessed by copyright dominance. In the end, a big American company can alway make or buy a new satellite somewhere - but international copyright hegemony is at or near the top of the USA wish list.

Let's hope this Government is resolute and consistent.

HK

Full post as published by Excess Copyright on April 10, 2008 (boomark / email).