Canadians accustomed to illegally downloading copyrighted material without facing consequences could be in for a shock this year.

The final piece of the federal Copyright Modernization Act took effect on Jan. 1, requiring Internet service providers (ISPs) and website hosts to relay letters from copyright holders to customers associated with the unique Internet Protocol (IP) address where the illegal downloading is alleged to have occurred.

While such notices do not carry any immediate legal ramifications, Internet lawyer Allen Mendelsohn told CTV’s Canada AM that they do serve as “a warning” that a copyright holder has noticed illegal downloading activity at your IP address, and could decide to sue.

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Users browse websites on computer terminals in Hong Kong, June 16, 2013. (AP / Kin Cheung)



Internet lawyer Allen Mendelsohn appears on CTV's Canada AM on Friday, Jan. 2, 2015.

The law does not include a stipulation that the customer must stop downloading the material or remove it from any websites to which they may have posted, but it does allow a copyright holder to sue individuals. Lawsuits could seek up to $5,000 for downloading copyrighted material for personal use, and up to $20,000 for a download that led to commercial gain.

While the cost of litigation, and the relatively small return, could discourage copyright holders from suing, Mendelsohn notes it could be more worthwhile to sue a large number of people at once.

The ISP or website host must also keep the notification letters for six months, should the copyright holder decide to sue. However, the ISP or website host cannot hand over your personal information unless a lawsuit is launched.

In the meantime, receiving such a letter may be enough to compel the customer to stop downloading copyrighted material, he said.

Customers should expect to receive a notice via email,

 

Yes you are right ArticStorm and any lawyer knows that getting any evidence illegally isn't valid in the court and Yes you can sue them back if you want

 

well, as I see it, even just connecting to the Internet will soon be considered illegal.

soon they will demand that a special licence must be acquired for connecting (that You will have to pay for, of course)

f*ck em all!!!

 

Yes, actually You are right...
...but they will make us pay one way or another, ... the same way they have done with the Television in the past.

For example, in my country, even if I don`t own a TV, i have to pay the monthly TV subscription, just because I own a PC, that, connected to the net, have the possibility to receive the national TV program... how insane and wrong is that

 

In France, since a few years, we have HADOPI, which operates in the same way

Only one person was sentenced, but the state (France) has spent over one million euros to send letters to people like us for their say : it's bad to download illegally (they send letter instead mail, it's look like to scare more )

This system don't work because everyone is not computer expert and does not know necessarily protect its Internet connection.

So they (French state) have decided to spy French people.

It's already the case in France, they say it's for avert terorism but we are not so naive.

 

Last edited: Jul 27, 2015

absurd

 

Fahrenheit 9/11 - Michael Moore

 

For french speakers ( but not only)

 

Just install an IP scrambler (like ZenMate) and be done with it.

 

In France, we pay taxes on EVERY digital support : CD, DVD, empty hard drives, SD card... Some camera/video makers even removed the possibility to erase files directly from computer, to avoid being taxed as digital support. So you need to do it on the device every time. Just for European ppl (not only french)
It was the fun part.
@ArticStorm : Rothschild, yes, You can add Goldman Sachs and more.Most ppl don't know WHO rules the world. They think politics, companies, religions...but not. Bankers own all of us. Whatever skin color, politic, religion, country...

 

I'd like you to be much more explicit regarding this sentance, thank you.

 

@mrpsanter there is a conspiracy theory going round that is summed up thus: there is probably an elite group of American-Jewish families, Zionists such as Rockerfeller, Rothschild, Bauer who are the real rulers of the world. Behind the scenes they pull the strings of all governments in the world. They also control the world's financial system. They have funded all sides of all wars for hundreds of years, wars which they created. They create wars to minimise the world's population in order to make it more easily managed by them in a future 'New World Order' which is a world with one government, one bank, one army, one currency and so on. Wars and market crashes make them richer. They are behind them all. Social instabality and chaos gives them the perfect excuse to bolster up their police and security systems until we are all under their watchful eye. The credit card was the first major step in their absolute control of our personal finances, and this will culminate in their being able to cut off our personal money when new technology is introduced to replace real money with card credit. They control the populations of Earth through the education systems, the media and entertainment systems raising us not to be curious and follow our hearts but in systems with rules binding us to conformity rather than freedom to think, question and express ourselves. This elite call themselves 'The Illuminati' because they beleive that they are the enlightened ones and everyone else is too stupid to decide anything. They probably got their knowledge and enlightenment from extra terrestrials who have done deals with the Illuminati. The aliens are probably reptilian. There is much more but this is the essence of the conspiracy theory.

 

nice that You are contemplating these arguments, but it is of little use knowing who is controlling who if You miss the basics: Who You are, Where You are, and Why You are...

So, I`d suggest spending some time and energy researching first these quests...

Good Luck!

 

@Thankful :
Thanks for the detailed answer.

As you said this is mainly a conspiracy theory with no scientific evidence.

Therefore I am wondering who might be dumb enough to swallow this, besides maybe someone with a slight antisemitic bias?

 

The "Jew" thing is disinformation. The elite aren't blindly united. They fight against each other too. It is literally like Game of Thrones. That show is more factual than the news these days! It basically all started in Rome. Read Roman history, you'll be surprised how much things have not changed.