Is Canada being blackmailed into accepting U.S. led copyright reform?

In order to try and help the American economy there has been a practice in the U.S. of ‘Buy American’ and that has led into more than a few run-ins between American and Canadian bureaucrats. Canadian firms that normally would have had a good shot at securing many of the infrastructure contracts being put out by the U.S. government are being frozen out.

According to Scotty Greenwood, executive director of the Washington based Canadian American Business Council, though this could all change if Canada were to accept all the copyright changes that the U.S. entertainment industry is pushing through as part of the global ACTA trade policy that is being decided on in secret.

Although Ms. Greenwood was speaking in any ‘official’ capacity she was one several trade expert invited to speak at a day-long panel on Parliament Hill.

Ms. Greenwood told the audience that copyright protection has moved to the top of the list in the Obama administration when it comes to relations with Canada. She said the issue is repeatedly raised with Canada by U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Jacobson.

“If Canada would just do it tomorrow… Link it. Say: ‘Okay. We hear you on copyright. We wanted to do it forever. We will do it tomorrow if you a deal on Buy American,’ [Canadian ambassador to Washington] Gary Doer and David Jacobson would be shaking hands in this room tomorrow,” she said.

In April, the United States added Canada to its blacklist of countries with lax laws preventing the piracy of intellectual property.

Source: Globe and Mail