Copyright: The International View
A couple of stories in the news recently highlight the international dimensions of the copyright issue. Together, the articles demonstrate that copyright law in the United States and the international nature of The Internet create thorny legal and technical issues that U.S. law cannot solve by itself.
The first article,
Blame Canada By Jay Currie,
Tech Central Station August 18, 2003, notes that Canadian law is very different from U.S. law.
While the Digital Millennium Copyright Act may make it illegal to share copyright material in America, the Canadian Copyright Act expressly allows exactly the sort of copying which is at the base of the P2P revolution.
The second,
US backs down on copyright by Simon Hayes, Australian IT AUGUST 21, 2003, notes that
US TRADE officials have backed off from a tough line on music, movie and software piracy, admitting that shoehorning Australia into a copyright regime based on criminal law may be “a bridge too far”.