- Over the Edge « Mach 8 2006 _Opinion 5 a ee On the Digital Front Backups Are ‘Unlawful’ JEREMY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER If you don't know what “space-shifting” and “time-shifting” are, today will be a great day to learn what these terms mean. The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) has found out some new disturbing trends being made by the recording industry. Have you ever had a TV show air when you werent home, yet you wanted to watch it anyway? What millions of people would do is record the show and watch it later. Perfectly harmless, right? This is what time-shifting is. Have you ever bought a CD and wanted to play the music on a portable flash player (most famous is the iPod)? There's nothing il-, legal about that since you bought the music in the first place, right? This is what ‘space-shift- ing’ can be. Both have one thing in common, you got all that material through legal means. The recording industry recently submit- ted a filing stating that both these activities should be illegal. I can't summarize the MGM vs. Grokster case in this article unfortunately because I would need a second column to ex- plain what happened. Here's what the industry said during this court case: “The record companies, my clients, have said, for some time now, and it's been on theit website for some time now, that it’s perfectly lawful to take a CD that you've purchased, _ upload it onto your computer, ut it onto your P yo IP’ P' yo iPod.” ! Here's what they said in ihe filing: “Not does the fact that permission to make a copy in particular circumstances is often or even routinely granted, necessarily estab- lish that the copying is a fair use when the copyright owner withholds that authoriza- tion. In this regard, the statement attributed to counsel for copyright owners in the MGM vs. Grokster case is simply a statement about authorization, not about fair use.” The EFF humorously puts it, “If I under- stand what the RIAA is saying, ‘perfectly law- ful’ means ‘lawful until we change our mind.” It is reasonable to assume that the industry has done this because they know they can pos- sibly get away with more now that this court case is over and done with. The MGM vs. Grokster Case was in the . USA. The filing submitted was for in the USA as well. On face value, it looks like just one of those American things. Unfortunately, anything ruled in America has a huge impact on Canada as well. In fact, Graham Hender- son was quoted in saying that the American - laws “are working” which doesnt mean they really are working given that after the lawsuits, Peer-to-Peer networks have soared to a popu- lation of 9.5 million users discounting Bit For- rent, UseNet and IRC. What Mr, Henderson means is that his only interest is to imitate American copyright schemes without nice things such as “fair use” which is not enjoyed in Canada as it is in the US which currently, permits time-shifting and space-shifting. I think the moral of the story is, ‘If you like what the industry is doing, they'll eventually find a way to make you hate them asa cus- tomer or client: Trailhead - Great Bear Rain- forest Finally Under Protection ANNA GRADOWSKA STAFF WRITER ‘ @ Temperate rainforests, like the ones covering most of BC's coast, are some of the rarest ecosystems on the planet. Before logging, they covered only 0,25 percent of the earth's surface, and after centuries of logging and development, about 60 percent of that has been destroyed. The Great Bear Rainforest, which extends from North Vancouver to the Alaskan boarder, is the largest intact area of temperate rainforest left in the world and represents 25 percent of the remaining temperate rainforest. It covers 15.5 million acres, an area larger than Switzerland. The area harbors some of the most endangered species-in Canada, but also 34 percent of all remaining old-growth forest and 20 percent of the world’s salmon and their habitat. For decades, environmentalists had actively perused protection for this area, Greenpeace, ForestEthics, the Sierra Club of Canada (BC Chapter), industry leaders, and many of the 25 First Nations groups in the area have fought for the protection of the Great Bear Rainforest, leading to years of negotiations and painstaking work. After a decade of campaigning, there has been re- ward. Earlier this month, the BC government announced "its comprehensive plan to provide the much needed protection for the Great Bear Rainforest. 5 million acres of land is being protected from logging. As part of this land, the new agreement is.creating parks that cover over 3.3 million acres. Also, 33 percent of the ce entire area will be z a’‘no-logging zone, on par with the level of protection as world-renowned areas such as, the Great Barrier Reef. The remaining area will be subject to new softer touch logging practices, called Ecosystem Based Management, to be fully imple- mented by 2009. In addition to the conservation and-better man- agement practices of these lands, the First Nations communities on this land will have an important and comprehensive role in the management over their traditional territories. It has been found that these new protected areas, more responsible forest practices, and conservation financing offers the most promising economic prospects for the First Nations and communities in the Great Bear Rainforest. The agreement also moves to diversify the coastal com- munities towards more sustainable and environment- "ally conscientious economies. So far, half of the $120 million investment package has been raised through philanthropic donors and sustainable business ventures in First Nations ter- ritories. The BC government has also promised $30 million towards the plan, specifically towards First Nations development. There are hopes for the federal government to invest in the Great Bear Rainforest's protection, helping to preserve one of Canada’s nat- ural treasures, Through the partnership of communities, industry, and environmentalists, BC has made a huge contri- bution to environmental conservation and respon- sible, sustainable management. The process has also _ shown that old barriers between industry and en- vironmental conservation can and should be broken _ for the protection and improvement of human and ecological life. Although there are still many prob- lems with current environmental negotiations and agreements, I can safely say that we have made an im- portant step towards the recognition of our invalu- able natural landscape. f= Se ee eee eee tree Domino's Pizza Lh on ot ee ee ee ee $9925" student tax Preperation: zf Get a coupon for a free medium Domino’s Pizza with student tax preparation. Come in today or call 1-800-HRBLOCK H&R BLOCK "To qualify, student must present ether () a 122022 documenting 4 or more months of full time attendanice at a college or university during 2005 or (i) @ valid high schoo! identification card. Offer and coupon expire June 30, 2006. Coupon valid for a medium one-topping pizza only at participating H&R Block locations in Canada;