[Heccubus]

Judge: File sharing legal in Canada
March  31, 2004

Sharing copyrighted works on peer-to-peer networks is legal in Canada, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday, handing the record industry a sharp setback in its international fight against file swappers.
Canadian record labels had asked the court for authorization to identify 29 alleged file-swappers in that country, in preparation for suing them for copyright infringement, much as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has sued more than 1500 people in America.

But the judge denied that request. In a far-ranging decision, the court further found that both downloading music and putting it in a shared folder available to other people online appeared to be legal in Canada.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4639920/

Go read the whole article, there's some interesting quotes and so forth. And before anyone asks, this is NOT an April Fools joke.

[Chefelf]

I actually read into this earlier today. Whereas in the States it is illegal to SHARE the files (therefore uploading them) it is actually the opposite in Canada. In Canada it is illegal to GET the files (or download them).

This is one of those situations where both ways of doing something are idiotic.

[Heccubus]

It's funny, though, how we get the "okay" on file sharing, but you guys are supposed to be getting the cheap hi-speed internet.

[Chefelf]

If only our two countries could join forces into one MEGA country. Amanadaica: A better place to DivX.

[Jordan]

So in otherwords. It's legal for Americans to download files from the Canadians.

[Chefelf]

So in otherwords. It's legal for Americans to download files from the Canadians.

Oh man, I see an amazing new P2P client.

Can2Am. Great for America. Not so great for our brethren to the North.

[Jon Gutner]

[B][I][U][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1][COLOR=purple]
I WISH LEGEL IN usa,,..

MEYBEE I SET UP pc OM canODA AND make remoOTE ASSESS FRUM HERE I GET IT LEGAL RIGE? i gennus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BLAHMBABAGO!!!!!
: : :

[Heccubus]

Funny thing: the judge compared it to a library having a photocopier, and people using that copier to make copies of copyrighted work. I get the feeling that the judge was some old guy who doesn't know much about computers. I also get the feeling that I used "copy" too much in that first sentence...