Geist’s strategy also includes his Fair Copyright for Canada Facebook group that has already attracted 38,000 users, not a bad number upon which to get people asking questions. Will it actually lead to any changes in the Prentice Bill? Maybe not but the public outcry that started to build in early December is seen as one of the main reasons the legislation was tabled in early December. That said, with the bill likely to brought back when the House sits next week, it remains to be seen whether such support will have any significant impact.

Moreover, no one’s actually seen the legislation since it hasn’t (to my knowledge) been released to the public. That said, when the National Privacy Commissioner, Jennifer Stoddart, comes out and says “I am concerned about possible changes to the Act authorizing the use of technical mechanisms to prevent copyright infringement that could have a negative impact on the privacy rights of Canadians,” one might decide to ask a few more questions.

And beyond the discussion of business models, there’s a deepar discussion of where do business interests intersect with public good, notably with respect to research and education. The Feds certainly don’t seem to agree.