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The Copyright Protest Surge

By Michael Geist

In the roughly 36 hours since the Canadian DMCA was introduced, the outrage from thousands of Canadians has been nothing short of remarkable.  The CBC has picked up on the story, reporting on the surge in online protests that include approximately 10,000 new members of the Fair Copyright for Canada Facebook group (nearly 50,000 members as of this writing), over 4,000 letters and emails sent through Copyright for Canadians, hundreds of comments on articles in the mainstream press (and this blog), and a huge number of individual blog posts. 

My sense is that the government still doesn't quite get it.  The usual suspects generated the expected supportive press releases, yet simmering online are thousands of Canadians who are angry and who vote.  There remains much work to be done - there will be opportunities for people in Calgary to meet Industry Minister Jim Prentice at his Calgary Stampede breakfast on July 5th, for residents of Guelph to make their voice heard in the fall by-election, and for Canadians across the country to participate in offline protests this fall.  In the meantime (once again):

1. Write to your MP, the Industry Minister, the Canadian Heritage Minister, and the Prime Minister.  If you send an email, be sure to print it out and drop a copy in the mail (no stamp is needed - c/o House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A0A6).  If you are looking for a sample letter, visit Copyright for Canadians.
2. Take 30 minutes from your summer, to meet directly with your MP.  From late June through much of the summer, your MP will be back in your local community attending local events and making themselves available to meet with constituents.  Give them a call and ask for a meeting.  Every MP in the country should return to Ottawa in the fall having heard from their constituents on this issue.
3. If you are not a member of the Fair Copyright for Canada Facebook group, join.  If you are, consider joining or starting a local chapter and be sure to educate your friends and colleagues about the issue and starting working through the list of 30 things you can do.

Full post as published by Michael Geist on June 13, 2008 (boomark / email).