OTTAWA – A coalition of Canadian open source businesses and supporters says Bill C-61 – the Conservative government’s act to amend the Copyright Act that was introduced on June 12 – threatens the open source business model.
The Canadian Software Innovation Alliance (CSIA) noted in a media release Monday that it was calling for a moderate approach to digital copyright that respects the interests of open source developers. But Bill C-61 eliminates the freedom of access upon which the open source model depends.
The bill “rejects virtually every commendation in the CSIA’s December 2007 white paper, entitled Software Innovation, Copyright and the Dangers of Anti-Circumvention Legislation, said CSIA member Russell McOrmond of Flora Community Consulting.
“The law should target bad behaviour, not neutral technologies,” he added in a statement.
“The proposed legislation’s ‘anti-circumvention’ provisions propose to make illegal a range of legitimate computer software tools and techniques just because they might be used to bypass the digital locks,” said Lulu.com CEO Bob Young, a CSIA member. “It is very similar to banning screwdrivers and pliers just because they can be used to commit crimes such as burglary. Bill C-61 will make it harder for technology innovators to do business in Canada.”
