Michael Geist sez,
The Canadian government has turned to the video game industry as a major source of support for its much criticized digital lock rules. Given the fact that writers, performers, publishers, musicians, documentary film makers, and artists have all called for greater balance on digital locks, the government has been left with fewer and fewer creative industries that support its position. On Monday, government MPs repeatedly referenced the video game industry and the prospect of lost jobs as a reason to support restrictive digital lock rules. For example: “I wonder if the member and her party opposite are talking about putting an end to the video gaming industry in this country with weak TPM measures [ed: that is, making it legal to break DRM if done for a purpose that doesn’t violate copyright].”
Later, an MP asked an MP: “Could he explain to the House how, in the absence of effective technical protection measures, that industry could continue to flourish in the province of Quebec?”
Government MPs regularly referenced the 14,000 jobs in the industry and suggested that they would be put at risk with “weak” TPM measures. Given the focus, it is important to examine the evidence that supports claims that jobs are at risk. A closer look at the industry’ own evidence demonstrates the government’s claim that adding balanced digital lock rules to Canadian copyright law would destroy the industry is plainly false. Based on the industry’s own data, opinion surveys of Canadian video game makers, industry growth in other countries with balanced digital lock rules, and the massive taxpayer investment in the industry, there is little reason to believe that amending the Bill C-11 digital lock approach would harm the Canadian video game industry.
The False Link Between C-11’s Digital Lock Rules and Video Game Industry Jobs