MUMBAI: The Canadian government‘s reintroduction of the copyright reform legislation to protect against digital piracy has been welcomed by major Hollywood studios.

The new rules also proposes to bar anyone from making, importing or selling devices that can break digital locks.
The proposed legislation also seeks to distinguish between personal and commercial use of recorded TV, radio and online content by Canadians.

"We support the government‘s commitment to give copyright owners the tools they need to combat online content theft, and promote creativity, innovation and legitimate business models," Wendy Noss, executive director of the Motion Picture Association of Canada, Hollywood‘s point-person in Canada, has been quoted to have said.

Also lining up to applaud the Canadian government‘s move were Canadian exhibitors, major US music labels and video game developers.

At the same time, Canadian ISPs that fail to retain subscriber traffic records or to forward notices to suspected pirates will be liable for civil damages if Bill C-11 passes through Parliament into law.

Ottawa‘s latest proposed copyright reform legislation very much falls in line with U.S.-style protections against piracy. Bill C-11, for example, proposes to bar Canadians from picking a digital lock on music, film or any entertainment product protected from duplication.

This move is a departure from a Canadian legal tradition that stopped short of pursuing consumers that use circumvention devices to access or copy content as Ottawa looked to balance the interests of consumers and copyright holders.

 The Bill will now move through the committee stage of Parliament in Ottawa and undergo likely amendments, before a vote is taken on whether to pass the legislation into law, likely by the end of the year.