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Canada Placed On US Piracy Watch List
The US Trade Representative (USTR) has for the first time placed Canada on its “priority watch list” for failure to enforce effective intellectual property protection.
The decision, which was applauded by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), places Canada on a list of countries deemed to have the worst record of preventing piracy and the counterfeiting of US goods, which also includes China, Russia, Algeria and Indonesia.
"In this time of economic uncertainty, we need to redouble our efforts to work with all of our trading partners - even our closest allies and neighbors such as Canada - to enhance protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in the context of a rules-based trading system," said USTR ambassador Ron Kirk, according to Reuters.
“Canada’s weak laws and enforcement practices foster game piracy in the Canadian market and pave the way for unlawful imports into the US,” said Michael Gallagher, CEO of the ESA.
“Canada contributes significantly to the development of today’s leading games - creating thousands of high-paying jobs along the way. We are eager to see Canada become a full partner in protecting these products on the way to market,” he added.
well they do spend alot on hardware
http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1550174
What the ESA and others fail to mention is that out of all the countries put onto this "Priority Watch List", Canada has the lowest estimated software piracy rates, by a large margin. (by their own questionable measurements).
Canada is at "32%"... the next highest are Chile and India at 66%, then Russia at 70%, the rest over 75%.
Canada's actually doing well in terms of meeting its IP obligations and other copyright concerns - it's just the USTR wanting every other country to bend to their flawed copyright legislation, due to powerful lobbying by special-interest groups.
See Michael Geist's blog entry for more info.
i agree make better games and reduce the price of games.
I think the REAL issue is that most people aren't willing to pay for crappy games anymore.
Most people are simply unwilling to spend up to £50 for a game, that they can't return (on pc's anyway).
consoles, you can trade your games, but pc's... you can't (at least not in the uk).
2nd- kids do need to be educated properly. they think it's allright to get stuff for free.
3rd- a lot of people have been affected in the past couple of years, loosing their job and so on. it's clear they can't really think of paying for their games, but they do need some entertainment.
4th- when will america decide to wise up, and stop trying to dictate what to do to other countries? maybe it's time they start realizing other countries are not perfect, that does not give them ANY rights whatsoever to impose their views on others.
Yeah I heard that we're one of the worst countries in the world in term of copyright protection. We have to get our act together.
I heard we're one of the better countries in the world. We're doing fine.
Canada: French Arrogance, American waist lines, and British sexual prowess
Yeah, that's a great combo you got going there. Anything nice about Canada comes purely from the fact it's America Jr. Though anyone immigrating this way would naturally prefer the US because you might as well live in the country that does the propping up rather than the country that needs propping up.
"it's America Jr."
Yes, just look at their gun-related death rates, their % of population currently incarcerated, their literacy rate, their standard living (as layed out in the index put forth by the UN), they're CLEARLY the America Jr. Their rates PALE in comparison to the USA. Maybe someday they can match the numbers their "big brother" posts. Just imagine how wonderful of a country it would be? People wouldn't have to put a maple leafs on their backpacks when they travel overseas anymore to prove to others they aren't Americans.
"you might as well live in the country that does the propping up rather than the country that needs propping up"
I'm sorry, so how are AIG, General Motors, Chrystler, Fanny May, Freddie Mac, etc...... doing? The Canadian government just had to buy 2% of Chrystler because they went bankrupt, to help keep the factories they have in Canada from shutting down. The Canadian government gave billions in bailout money to help keep GM running, so they don't go bankrupt either. Who's propping WHO up exactly? The Royal Bank of Canada and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce are still running strong and haven't had anywhere near the defaulting mortgages of the US banks. Looks like someone needs to do a little reading and get teh facts straight before ripping on other countries.
"French Arrogance"
I wonder if the irony of this, in relation to your entire post, is actually lost on you?