Post by cjm on Sept 1, 2017 16:41:44 GMT
Digital property rights complicate NAFTA talks
The impact of digital property rights extends from computer systems inside modern farm tractors to e-books, movies, cloud computing software and cross-border information flows.
The impact of digital property rights extends from computer systems inside modern farm tractors to e-books, movies, cloud computing software and cross-border information flows.
"Farmers are concerned with the digital lock rules or intellectual property rights regarding computer technology used to control farm machines," Mr. Robson told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Tractors, harvesters and other large farm machines have complex computer software embedded inside of them.
When the machines break down, digital lock provisions mean farmers must take the equipment to official dealerships for repairs, rather than being able to fix the devices themselves or with local technicians.
Tractors, harvesters and other large farm machines have complex computer software embedded inside of them.
When the machines break down, digital lock provisions mean farmers must take the equipment to official dealerships for repairs, rather than being able to fix the devices themselves or with local technicians.
Canada allows educational institutions to use copyrighted text books without having to compensate the book's publishers and makes another exception for user generated content, such as a DJ remixing a previously recorded song, he said.
Kupferschmid wants US trade negotiators to pressure Canada to tighten those rules while urging Mexico to better enforce its existing intellectual property laws.
Michael Geist, a University of Ottawa law professor who studies trade agreements, said Canadian regulators should do the opposite, loosening NAFTA's intellectual property clauses.
Digital locks, for example, restrict what students can do with the e-books they are required to buy for school, Mr. Geist said.
The same locking problem also applies when students or other users try to sample a section of a DVD to extract a short clip to use for a creative project.
"User rights and flexibility in the laws must be treated equally in the digital and analog world," Geist told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
"Perfectly legal activities should not be blocked because someone puts a digital lock on the content."
Kupferschmid wants US trade negotiators to pressure Canada to tighten those rules while urging Mexico to better enforce its existing intellectual property laws.
Michael Geist, a University of Ottawa law professor who studies trade agreements, said Canadian regulators should do the opposite, loosening NAFTA's intellectual property clauses.
Digital locks, for example, restrict what students can do with the e-books they are required to buy for school, Mr. Geist said.
The same locking problem also applies when students or other users try to sample a section of a DVD to extract a short clip to use for a creative project.
"User rights and flexibility in the laws must be treated equally in the digital and analog world," Geist told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
"Perfectly legal activities should not be blocked because someone puts a digital lock on the content."