In The NewsCasey Chisick Advocates Changing Canada's Copyright Laws to Address Music DownloadingPublished: 04/21/2010 Casey Chisick, a leading intellectual property lawyer, discusses the impending revival of Canada's copyright debate and the evils of illegal music downloading. In an interview by the Globe and Mail, Chisick, with his wife Jazz musician Sophie Milman make it clear there are two things they agree on: a shared passion for music, and a shared belief that Canada must update its antiquated copyright laws to ensure musicians get paid in the digital age. “We are lagging behind, no question about that. Fairly or not, Canada is constantly being placed on intellectual property watch lists as being a piracy haven,” Mr. Chisick said in the article, adding that such extreme characterizations have been overstated but arguing that Canada has a lot of catching up to do. Further, the article notes that while comprehensive reforms are said to be coming, both Mr. Chisick and Ms. Milman strongly favour one smaller idea: a proposed levy on iPods and other music devices, recently suggested in a private member's bill from New Democrat Charlie Angus. Chisick, who has represented the music business in major copyright fights, acknowledges in the article that the levy would do nothing to address illegal file sharing. But it would address the fact that under current law, even the music on Mr. Chisick's computer, copied from his own CDs, is illegal. Milman says Canada's musicians need the revenue, too. Reference: |