[discuss] Online participation in Copyright consultation?

[Russell McOrmond]

It turns out that I didn't actually receive a special invitation to
participate in person in the consultation. There are A-list invitations
to a specific event (what I thought I received), and B-list invitations
which were unclear invitations to sign up via the website to go to Toronto
or Montreal. While the Toronto and Montreal events are open to the
public, I figured out I wasn't really invited after it was too late to
organize the time off work to get to Montreal.

I've tried signing up for "online" participation. I was able to
observe the tail end of the Montreal event because Denver Gingerich
twittered a direct link to the video stream http://twitter.com/ossguy

There was a woman that read from online comments every once in a while.
I don't know how long that queue would have been, and what her filtering
methodology was, but it appears that is the only way I'll be able to
participate. The website signup for the events have a "check your
system" which complains that I'm using Linux.

http://webcast.streamlogics.com/audience/index.asp?eventid=54902284&lang=english


I am curious if anyone participated fully online with the Montreal event
using a FLOSS desktop. I've asked Streamlogics if there is a test system
I can use to verify that everything will work ahead of time.


For anyone who hasn't been there yet, please see:
http://copyright.econsultation.ca/

(Referenced from the old http://copyrightconsultation.gc.ca for C-61.
Archives going back to the 2001 consultation are at
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/crp-prda.nsf/eng/h_rp01104.html )


BTW: For the curious, here is the text of the letter I received from the
Minister's office. If you didn't know about the A-list round tables vs
B-list town halls you might have thought this was an invitation to a
specific event as well. I'm pretty sure that the text "Please note that
this invitation is specific to you and that substitutions are not
permitted" was a typo given I was only invited to the public town hall
event. Not only can a substitute go, but so could anyone else....

------------

Invitation - Town Hall

(Le fran?ais suit.)



SENT ON BEHALF OF MINISTERS MOORE AND CLEMENT.



On July 20th, 2009, the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of
Industry and the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and
Official Languages will launch nation-wide consultations to solicit
Canadians? opinions on the important issue of copyright reform.



The Government of Canada has committed to modernizing Canada?s copyright
laws, to provide meaningful rights for creators and promote the use of
digital technology by its citizens. We are consulting to ensure that all
perspectives are taken into account in an open and transparent process, to
help deliver new legislation in the Fall that is forward-looking, reflects
Canadian values, and strengthens Canada?s ability to compete in the global
digital economy.



The consultations will run between July 20th and September 13th, 2009.



Over this period, the Ministers will hold a number of roundtable &
town hall discussions on copyright reform at various locations across the
country.



You are cordially invited to a town hall discussion. Further information
regarding the particular event to which you are being invited, including
the city, date, time of day and address of the venue, will be provided to
you very soon. Please note that this invitation is specific to you and
that substitutions are not permitted.



Please note that the town halls will be webcast live, as well as recorded,
and posted online in both official languages.



In addition to attending the town hall discussion, we encourage
you to participate in the online consultation, which will be open to all
Canadians starting July 20th, 2009. You may join in on the online
discussion forum or share your views with us more formally by posting a
submission. Both of these options will be available as of July 20th,
2009. Details will follow soon.



We want to ensure that all Canadians have the opportunity to join in the
discussion of the different ideas and views raised over the course of the
consultations ? for this reason, all consultation activities, whether
presented online, during a roundtable, or via the webcast town-hall, will
be made accessible to the public.



To RSVP for the town halls, and for more information, please contact Ms.
Alexandra Hutton by email at [removed]


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
[French version not posted, but included in origional notice]

[Robin Millette]

?I've tried signing up for "online" participation. ?I was able to observe
the tail end of the Montreal event because Denver Gingerich twittered a
direct link to the video stream http://twitter.com/ossguy

There was some good coverage here too:
http://identi.ca/tag/copycon
http://identi.ca/enkerli (go back a few days, most posts weren't tagged)

?There was a woman that read from online comments every once in a while. I
don't know how long that queue would have been, and what her filtering
methodology was, but it appears that is the only way I'll be able to
participate. ? The website signup for the events have a "check your system"
which complains that I'm using Linux.

It was a pain. There's javascript in there to only allow 3 letter TLD.
I couldn't participate with my millette.info email, duh.

I had to resort to mimms to save the video. I saved the english and
watched in french but what I would have really liked is an
untranslated feed.