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Copyright activist Micheal Geist has gone through recently leaked Wikileaks cables and found evidence that the US government has been pestering the Canadian government to adopt tougher copyright laws.
Not only that, it also shows that Canadian officials leaked confidential information to the US, including private mandate letters from the Canadian PM to two ministers.
Most of the cables date back to the Bush administration, with Prime Minister Harper personally promising the then US President new, harsher copyright laws, which eventually failed to eventuate. The PM also promised the same thing to U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins, the leaks revealed.
Other leaks show the intense lobbying behind the scenes, and incredible displeasure from the US side towards the Canadian side for not doing what they've been told.
While the diplomatic cables only show the interaction between the US and Canadian governments, it's clear that the US government themselves are under lobbying pressure from the likes of the RIAA and MPAA, to directly influence politics in Canada, and most likely in other countries as well.
You can read Michael Giest's full analysis here:
Not only that, it also shows that Canadian officials leaked confidential information to the US, including private mandate letters from the Canadian PM to two ministers.
Most of the cables date back to the Bush administration, with Prime Minister Harper personally promising the then US President new, harsher copyright laws, which eventually failed to eventuate. The PM also promised the same thing to U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins, the leaks revealed.
Other leaks show the intense lobbying behind the scenes, and incredible displeasure from the US side towards the Canadian side for not doing what they've been told.
While the diplomatic cables only show the interaction between the US and Canadian governments, it's clear that the US government themselves are under lobbying pressure from the likes of the RIAA and MPAA, to directly influence politics in Canada, and most likely in other countries as well.
You can read Michael Giest's full analysis here:
