URGENT MESSAGE TO CANADIANS

[Westside]

Oh wow... The DVD-burner example is an outstanding one. Just because you can do illegal things with it does not mean you should outlaw them.

 

[Whiternoise]

So this bill effectively stops flashcarts because they're a device that "circumvents" copyright?

One thing though, the bill quotes fines for downloading, etc, how is this any different from the current laws in the rest of the world about downloading illegal stuff?

If so, i really do feel for you Canadians, first the shitty laptop searches at airports and now bans on flashcart too? Which is a point actually, under ACTA, are customs allowed to check the game in your DS to make sure it's not an R4 too?

(makes me wonder if it would be possible to just remove the sticker on the cartridge and replace it with an official game sticker

 

[Light]

welcome to singapore.

hope you guys can fix yr own laws unlike us..

 

[GuardianHX]

I sent the letter.

Oh man, I hope they re-think their decision! ;-;

 

[amptor]

I think people fail to remember that the nintendo ds has built in security features which these flash carts circumvent, but I guess that mainly applies to US law and now Canada is trying to update their laws to be similar. This isn't like a dvd burner exactly, where whatever data you have can just be burned to a disc. I'm not sure how to explain better.

 

[jtroye32]

why don't they just outlaw computers - the source of all the digital copyright infringements

 

[Arkansaw]

welcome to singapore.

hope you guys can fix yr own laws unlike us..

lol...u should keep quiet
coz right now carts for us belongs to an underlegislated area

 

[Whizz]

Also, prices will be lower! Yay!!

Somehow I doubt it will reflect a price change.
While I'm ok with a law doing something about pirated games, I doubt outlawing modchips is the way to go. There is actually legitimate use for them (I hope I'm not the only one).
I do believe this kind of law open the window to other similar law and next thing we know they are going to outlaw DVD burners because you can burn illegal DVD with it.

This has almost happened in sweden.
We got a tax raise on DVD-R's and other media because you CAN pirate on them, so therefore raise the taxes to make up for it and send the difference to the publishers, studios etc... :S it's fucked up!

Same here in the Netherlands. That is why I import them from Germany

. I believe we were this close to having to pay some mp3tax when buying an MP3 player.

And it's not like you get your money back if you prove you used it for legal purposes. This pisses me off.

 

[legendofphil]

So this bill effectively stops flashcarts because they're a device that "circumvents" copyright?

One thing though, the bill quotes fines for downloading, etc, how is this any different from the current laws in the rest of the world about downloading illegal stuff?

If so, i really do feel for you Canadians, first the shitty laptop searches at airports and now bans on flashcart too? Which is a point actually, under ACTA, are customs allowed to check the game in your DS to make sure it's not an R4 too?

(makes me wonder if it would be possible to just remove the sticker on the cartridge and replace it with an official game sticker

Its not much different to other copyright law such as the DMCA, but the problem is that it has been heavily influenced by non-Canadian companies and organisations.
Its a law for Canadians essentially by American's. I was watching something about it the other week.

I am all for copyright laws, so long as they aren't stupid. Not being able to rip my store bought music CDs to my MP3 is stupid.

QUOTE(amptor @ Jun 3 2008, 07:11 PM) I think people fail to remember that the nintendo ds has built in security features which these flash carts circumvent, but I guess that mainly applies to US law and now Canada is trying to update their laws to be similar. This isn't like a dvd burner exactly, where whatever data you have can just be burned to a disc. I'm not sure how to explain better.

Same thing applies to video DVDs and other games, you get around the protection to make the backup.

 

[Whiternoise]

So Flashcarts are already technically illegal in the US then?

I gather there was a bit of a hoohah here in the UK, but nothing ever really got done about it..

And this all sounds like the ACTA scandal that's currently brewing..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Counterf...Trade_Agreement

 

[Panzer Tacticer]

TOMORROW new laws will be passed by the Canadian government which will effectively OUTLAW the use of modchips and flash carts, among other things.

it's (possibly) being introduced, not passed. it has to go through 3 readings in the house of commons, then 3 in the senate, quite sometime before it's even becoming close law

also something this controversial has little chance passing the house of commons with a minority gov't. that being said, writing a bunch of letters to your own MP, the PM and Minister of Industry can't hurt (also it's free and causes more of an impact then email).

Not one of the posts on this thread has as of yet invalidated cpm's post's observations.

The sky won't be falling to you see it actually happen people.

Not that I don't think it can't happen, but, until it actually DOES happen.

I continue to live by one of my favourite beliefs, and that is, nothing is forever.
Sure the powers that be will continue to screw you over, and in general deny you your power to exceed the intended original purpose of disc burners and other fun media choices. But the powers that be are unlikely to ever stop people that refuse to care.

Would my life end if tomorrow I woke up in a country that made it particularly dangerous to own cutting edge technology that permitted easy simplified piracy? Nope. But it sure would make a few of my hobbies unwelcome I guess. I'm sure glad I don't have enough hours in the day to indulge in all my hobbies, because the upside is if I had to turf a few hobbies, it would only make the other hobbies happier about the increase in attention.

Yes it would suck if tomorrow I found that GBAtemp was no longer around due to legal reasons.

And if all of you guys could no longer play a single game not bought in a store, hmm well at least you would be able to imagine what it was like for me in 1970

Send letters, make your opinion heard, but keep in mind, it isn't law till it's actually law. And tomorrow, you could just as easily turf the offending government, and make new laws eh. You guys do realize that eh, you can always make new laws after laws that sucked and were found undesirable.

 

[Ace Gunman]

It's actually worse in many respects then the US DMCA. I mean, this is Canada. The US my hold the title of the land of the free, but I've always considered us to be more deserving of that title (no offense intended to the US, I'm just really proud of our country to date).

We're supposed to be the place people run to to get away from the draft, the place where gay folks can marry and the biggest of potheads can live their lives, etc. I always thought we were above legislation like this, and now I see them taking away our freedoms in a more extremely manner than even that of the US and I'm just sickened. We're supposed to be the country that doesn't encroach on your freedoms!

 

[Whiternoise]

And it's entirely possible that if it does stop the rate of piracy in the country then they'll relax the laws again - carrot for stick sort of thing.

Sure, it'll be a few years, but hey..

Oh! and just remember, once the new Nintendo handheld is released in a few years they'll have completely forgotten about the DS

 

[funem]

Banning flash cards and mod chips is supposedly a way of protecting the games industry. In reality it is the same as the movie and music industry who cry PIRATES when sales are down, and don't think its anything to do with the profit margins they stamp on their products deterring customer purchases. Look at the price difference between the UK and the US for the same products. The movie industry used the technology that does not allow you to skip passed a copyright message on a DVD to force you to watch the adverts before a film, if the same restrictions were imposed on a music CD there would be an outcry that also would no doubt be ignored. Then there is Sonly who put a root kit on their music CD's that made it you could not play their CD's on your PC, regardless of if you were just playing it to listen to it, the method used was totally illegal. This type of tactics are an infringement to your civil liberties, but government with the lack of technical understanding bow down to the corporate giants and side with them.

The games industry is turning more of a profit than the film industry at the moment but still cry when there profit are down and blame it on the pirate when in fact they pay so much money to absorb smaller companies, which in turn do not return the revenue that they paid over the odds for in the first place then they seek to claw back every potential loss and blame the pirate to appease the shareholder so as not to admit they are not making sound fanatical decisions.

What this law is in fact saying is that anyone who owns a console cant chip it to let them to have full control of the console they own outright to do wish as they wish. Just because you chip your console, it does not make you a pirate, buying a copy of game or downloading it from the web make you a pirate.

If you buy a flashcard it enables you to execute code ( homebrew ) written by anyone in the world on a console you own, not rent or loaned. Once again you are not a pirate if you do this.

This also is the equivalent of saying if you buy a PC you can only run programs purchased from a shop, install programs only the manufacturer wants you to run. Impose those restrictions on the PC buying public and there would be pandemonium.

The entertainment industry has had the ability to circumvent civil liberties in the pursuit of greed, while government have bowed down through lack of understanding and pressure from said companies.

Banning flash cards is also the equivalent of banning blank media, DVD etc, just in case, you put a pirate copy of something on it

Taken to the limit it is the equivalent of saying anyone who buys a knife is going to kill someone.

This is the equivalent of being guilty before you are can be proved innocent

I don't live in Canada but I understand your concern and I am very worried that this does not become a trend worldwide.

 

[Westside]

Banning flash cards and mod chips is supposedly a way of protecting the games industry. In reality it is the same as the movie and music industry who cry PIRATES when sales are down, and don't think its anything to do with the profit margins they stamp on their products deterring customer purchases. Look at the price difference between the UK and the US for the same products. The movie industry used the technology that does not allow you to skip passed a copyright message on a DVD to force you to watch the adverts before a film, if the same restrictions were imposed on a music CD there would be an outcry that also would no doubt be ignored. Then there is Sonly who put a root kit on their music CD's that made it you could not play their CD's on your PC, regardless of if you were just playing it to listen to it, the method used was totally illegal. This type of tactics are an infringement to your civil liberties, but government with the lack of technical understanding bow down to the corporate giants and side with them.

The games industry is turning more of a profit than the film industry at the moment but still cry when there profit are down and blame it on the pirate when in fact they pay so much money to absorb smaller companies, which in turn do not return the revenue that they paid over the odds for in the first place then they seek to claw back every potential loss and blame the pirate to appease the shareholder so as not to admit they are not making sound fanatical decisions.

What this law is in fact saying is that anyone who owns a console cant chip it to let them to have full control of the console they own outright to do wish as they wish. Just because you chip your console, it does not make you a pirate, buying a copy of game or downloading it from the web make you a pirate.

If you buy a flashcard it enables you to execute code ( homebrew ) written by anyone in the world on a console you own, not rent or loaned. Once again you are not a pirate if you do this.

This also is the equivalent of saying if you buy a PC you can only run programs purchased from a shop, install programs only the manufacturer wants you to run. Impose those restrictions on the PC buying public and there would be pandemonium.

The entertainment industry has had the ability to circumvent civil liberties in the pursuit of greed, while government have bowed down through lack of understanding and pressure from said companies.

Banning flash cards is also the equivalent of banning blank media, DVD etc, just in case, you put a pirate copy of something on it

Taken to the limit it is the equivalent of saying anyone who buys a knife is going to kill someone.

This is the equivalent of being guilty before you are can be proved innocent

I don't live in Canada but I understand your concern and I am very worried that this does not become a trend worldwide.

Very true my friend. The reason that the sale is going down is because the games are starting to suck ass. I would NEVER pay for about 80% of the DS games here. However, if the game is genuinely good, I wouldn't think of pirating it. Stupid developers need to know why their sales suck.

 

[legendofphil]

The entertainment industry has had the ability to circumvent civil liberties in the pursuit of greed, while government have bowed down through lack of understanding and pressure from said companies.

Banning flash cards is also the equivalent of banning blank media, DVD etc, just in case, you put a pirate copy of something on it

A flash card's main purpose is to play pirated games, its intended purpose was as a development tool. If there was a flash card with less memory on it than a game uses it would be left alone. Its not the case that you might put a game onto it, its that you probably would put a game onto it.

In regards to the industry, what if we all fell in love with a new game by an independent developer but we didn't buy if and because of poor sales that company went bust or we never saw that game continue on to a full series. This has happened before and will happen again. Beyond Good & Evil was on the edge of not having a sequel due to poor sales, thankfully it did, and that is with the second biggest publisher behind it.

 

[PyroJames]

I sent the letter and sent all the info to everyone I know asking them for support.

 

[Ace Gunman]

A flash card's main purpose is to play pirated games, its intended purpose was as a development tool. If there was a flash card with less memory on it than a game uses it would be left alone. Its not the case that you might put a game onto it, its that you probably would put a game onto it.

In regards to the industry, what if we all fell in love with a new game by an independent developer but we didn't buy if and because of poor sales that company went bust or we never saw that game continue on to a full series. This has happened before and will happen again. Beyond Good & Evil was on the edge of not having a sequel due to poor sales, thankfully it did, and that is with the second biggest publisher behind it.

It's not about intent, it's about rights. Should cooking pans be outlawed just because some people have bashed each other over the head with them instead of preparing a tasty meal? Should rewritable media be outlawed because some people copy movies onto them instead of backing up data? Should sand be outlawed just because you can throw it in someone's eyes instead of building a sand castle? If you took away everything in the world that could be misused for illegal purposes, there'd be nothing left.

 

[AXYPB]

I'd totally sign this if I could. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone in Canada.

 

[Commander]

Someone may have already said this but drugs are illegal people still use them.

Yes I am not from Canada but to be honest can't you really tell if someone is playing a flash card or using a mod chip, its pretty difficult. Not that anyone will even bother to check that they guy in the corner playing the DS is using a flash card.

Anyway good luck with the "campaign" against the oppressive Canadian regime.

~ Commander