cobolhacker.com

A little while ago I sent a letter to the Honourable Gary Schellenberger, my member of parliament, urging care in the process of upgrading the Copyright Act. He’s chair of the Standing Committe on Canadian Heritage, so I figured if he read it he might tell other caucus members too.

Well, he did. He forwarded the mail to the Minister of Industry, one of the ministers involved with the committee (I guess). I figured that would be the end of it, but apparently not. The Honourable Maxime Bernier has sent an email to me today, seemingly indicating the letter has been read and understood.

To: Mr. Robert J. Young
(cobolhacker@gmail.com)

Dear Mr. Young:

Your Member of Parliament, Mr. Gary Schellenberger, forwarded to me on September 15, 2006, a copy of your electronic correspondence of September 6, 2006, conveying your concerns about possible amendments to the Copyright Act.

In my view, the Act must continue to be supportive of innovation and research while reflecting current technological and legal realities. To this end, a balance between adequate protection for copyright holders and reasonable access to copyrighted material is critical.

With this in mind, I am working closely with my colleague, the Honourable Bev Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage, to determine the appropriate next steps with respect to copyright reform.

Please be assured that your comments will be taken into account as we move forward.
Sincerely,

Maxime Bernier

c.c. Mr. Gary Schellenberger, M.P.

Although I’m fairly certain I’ve reached the end here, I have to respond. It is the polite thing to do.

The Honourable Mr. Bernier,

Dear Sir,

I have no doubt your position keeps you very busy, so I must thank you for taking the time to read the letter forwarded to you by the Hon. Mr. Schellenberger. It is a pleasure to have this opportunity to assist you, in whatever small way, in the important process of Copyright reform.

I agree that a balance needs to be found. In my mind, such a balance should seek to enable creativity and community, while at the same time offering the content creator incentives, both financial and spiritual, to continue the creation of works of art and knowledge, especially derivative ones.

This productive correspondence doesn’t have to end. Should you, the Hon. Mr. Schellenberger, or any member of the committee have more spare minutes and would like to know more of what I know, I would be more than happy to write to you again, or perhaps meet with you and discuss the issue in person.

Name the time and place and I’ll be there.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Young, of Stratford, Ontario