Look, I’m not naive, I know special interest groups try to buy local politicians all the time. So why should Movie companies in Canada be any different? It’s not… but still… hearing stories like this one REALLY depresses me. The media companies already own the courts (by always having more money than the next guy to hire the biggest and most expensive lawyers), and now they want to own the government too.
My friend Jordon’s blog pointed me to this post by Michael Geist about Conservative politicians taking big money from various copyright lobby groups including the Canadian Motion Pictures Distributors Association:
A couple of weeks I blogged about Canadian Heritage Minister Bev Oda’s fundraising during the last federal election. Days before the vote, as the Conservative momentum made her a likely Cabinet minister, Oda accepted contributions from many in the copyright lobby including Universal Music (tied for her third largest external contributor), the Canadian Motion Pictures Distributors Association, the Entertainment Software Alliance, the Canadian Music Publishers Association, and CRIA’s own Graham Henderson.
Oda’s riding association has now released data for the full 2005 calendar year and her support from the copyright lobby is even more extensive than this initial list. While there is a similar list of individual donors, the corporate list is even more telling, particularly since those donations will no longer be permitted once the Federal Accountability Act becomes law. Financial supporters of Oda’s Durham riding association last year included:
* copyright lobby groups – CRIA, CFTA, CMPDA, CMMRA, Director’s Guild, Entertainment Software Association, SOCAN, Writer’s Guild
* record labels – BMG Canada, EMI Canada, Sony Music Canada, Warner Music Canada, Universal Music Canada
* broadcasters – Corus, Vision TV
* cable companies – CCTA, Cogeco, Rogers, Shaw
* lobby firms – Temple Scott Associates, Capitol Hill Group
Oh gee whiz… when a vote comes up in Parliament about new copyright laws… I wonder which way she’s going to vote? For the rights of the people? Or for the power of these media companies? Hmmmm. Like I said, I know stuff like this goes on all the time with every single political party… but that doesn’t make it easy to hear. Pretty soon the damn movie companies are going to want a tax on every time you even TALK about a movie with your friends… since your discussion involves “copywriten material”. Idiots.
I’d like to give my usual kneejerk response about how “why don’t you talk about ALL politicians being corrupt instead of just the conservative ones?” But then again, Conservative may very well mean one thing in canada and another entirely in the states. Then again, maybe not.
I just want you to know that most every politician takes money from someone, as you pointed out. Nothing wrong with that until it influences the vote of a particular issue, then you have the old conflict of interest.
My question is, what will this mean to the people of Canada?
I’d like to live in a world where NO money can be given by ANYONE to support politicians and that they can’t even use their own money, and must run on a standardly distributed feed system where the only thing they have to fall back on is their issues.
alot of people say that’s socialist. I disagree. But it’s what needs to be done.
geez john the problem is not this lobby´s this stuff the problem is the mindnumbness of people, this is a freackin democracy dude,power to the people you now, if everione had the balls to join up and fight together against this kind of bullshit nothing of this would ever be happening.
by the way your podcast is damn awsome and doug is just freackin hillarius and portugal will win the world cup.
GO PORTUGAL
a fan of yours from portugal
CHEERS
I’d heard about this but didn’t realize how extensive the list was. As for taxing people for talking about movies, I’d like to see them try that one!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate_Party_of_the_U.S.
Well, this stuff doesn’t go on with EVERY political party…
They certainly don’t have a shot in hell at accomplishing anything, although I was interested to read about why they want to eliminate patents on medicine.