Zeropaid.com -- Is Putting Canada on a Priority Watchlist Going to Backfire?

 Is Putting Canada on a Priority Watchlist Going to Backfire?

Is Putting Canada on a Priority Watchlist Going to Backfire?

"Wanted to include as an endorsement of Zeropaid.com as the article only repeats what most people think -- the listing only (regrettably) foreshadows the Obama's undemocratic stance on the issue and the power of lobbyists not on Canada -- HSM"

A few days ago, we highlighted the USTR Special 301 report and briefly mentioned how Canada was put on a priority watchlist. Now, it’s starting to look like putting the country on the priority watchlist could backfire.

If there’s any indication on what the intention is putting Canada on a priority watchlist, one doesn’t have to look much further than a copyright industry press release mentioning the news. In short, the idea is to shame Canada into importing draconian copyright laws to have their name cleared. Unfortunately for the copyright industry, as brilliantly highlighted by one columnist, it seems to be having the opposite effect.

“The latest Obama administration move against Canada is to designate us among the world’s worst offenders in failing to crack down on those ripping off movie and music artists through wide-open illegal copying.” Writes Don Martin.

“That’s ridiculous. Anyone who has trolled the markets of other blacklist members such as Indonesia,” Martin adds, “Pakistan or China knows full well their very public piracy epidemic is simply not matched in Canada, the only Western country on the U.S. list.”

He also says that the current US administration is becoming a big threat to Canada - particularly with the latest move of putting Canada on a priority watchlist. Though, it should be noted that the copyright industry have huge lobbying power in things such as who gets put on a watchlist for copyright infringement.

“I have the sense” Michael Geist commented, “that the decision to include Canada in a group with China, Russia, etc. may ultimately backfire as it undermines whatever credibility the report might have had.”

Is Putting Canada on a Priority Watchlist Going to Backfire?