IP group wants Canada shut down

A US INTELLECTUAL property pressure group has called on the US government to declare Canada a member of the IP Axis of Evil, alongside China, Russia and Belize.

A llawyer paid by the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), Steve Metalitz, claimed Canada's failure to modernise its copyright regime has made it a centre for bootleg movies, pirated software and mod-chips, according to the Globe and Mail,.

The group has complained to the US government, accusing the Canadians of failing to deliver on a promised overhaul of copyright laws and a policing crackdown.

The group which includes members such as Microsoft, Apple and Paramount Pictures feels that the Government needed to "ratchet this up" as the Canadian government doesn't seem to take this very seriously.

The IIPA thinks that putting Canada on the "priority watch list" next to Belize, Venezuela, China, Turkey, Indonesia, Ukraine and Russia will do the trick.

Apparently Canada is a 'a leading exporter' of bootlegged copies of the latest movies as well as mod chips. The pressure group claims a quarter of pirated movies are made in Canada.

Maybe the Canadians are fairly confident. The last time the US tried to export its form of Republicanism to the British colony, its forces got their bottoms well and truly spanked.

More here. µ

NOTE The International Intellectual Property Alliance says it is "a coalition of associations representing the United States copyright-based industries." So it's not international at all and should therefore probably be shut down for mis-representing itself.