Vol. XXXI, No: 1 September 18 – 24, 2008 - Vol. XXXI, No: 2
Winning isn’t everything Cliches are for losers HANNA MATTNER Olympic News Bureau The Olympic Games fill television screens world wide every year with feats of athleticism, enormous smiles of success, cascades of medals and torrential tears of defeat. We see Canada’s top athletes competing against the cream of the crop as we share the joy of every gleaming medal they bring home. But what about the other athletes who return with nothing, like the ten students from Toronto who competed? What about our Olympic losers? The athletes completely reject that there is such a thing. “I don’t think you’re going to find anyone who comes back feeling [like a loser]” said Clare Rustad, who played on the Canadian soccer team. “It’s such a cliché, but it’s an unbelievable feeling to be there.” Ten students from the University of Toronto competed in events as varied as archery, swimming and trampoline in the Olympics this year. While their medal haul sits at nil, each athlete said the same thing in his own way. To them, it truly is not the winning that counts, but rather the opportunity, the experience and the pride in doing their best on the world stage. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I don’t know if anything can top that,” said freestyle swimmer Luke Hall. “People were very open to meeting other people…The [Olympic] Village was probably the best thing ever”. “When we’re off the field, everyone’s friendly”, added Crispin Duenas, who competed Credit: Effi Vlass in the archery event. “There’s no
C-61: Who foots the Bill? Pt. 2 Who has the rights? MATTHEW POPE Canadian News Bureau This past week, Stephen Harper and the Conservatives finally did something good for copyright law: they called an election. This means that the infamous Bill C-61 has died on the order paper. The immediate threat has been alleviated but make no mistake, the battle is far from over. An election call means that all bills before parliament that have not ratified have to go back to the starting line and be reintroduced when the new parliament is formed. Advocates against Bill C-61, like Michael Geist, are quick to warn that this is nothing more than a stay of execution for public content. With substantial pressure from the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), other international copyright alliances and the North American entertainment industry, it won’t be long before a clone of Bill C-61 is read into the House of Commons. The election call does, however, provide some valuable opportunities for those opposed to the bill to make their voices heard. One of the most widespread criticisms from opponents of Bill C-61 has been the
really big rivalry or anything. We have really good camaraderie” Terrence Haynes, a swimmer from Barbados, said “I got to meet many athletes from all over the world, in particular when competition was over. I met Ronaldinho from Brazil, Asafa Powell from Jamaica, Usain Bolt from Jamaica [and] Rafael Nadal from Spain.” The athletes also had plenty to say about how greatly they valued the support they got from home. “It was really nice to have all the support of my friends and people I don’t even know,” said Crispin. “My family was really proud…and my friends were all excited to say they knew someone who was going to the Olympics. My girlfriend would be up at 4 o’clock in the morning watching my scores come up on the internet.” “You can see the cameras, but you can’t see all the people watching TV, just willing you to win,” said Rustad. “My little brother and his friends were up at 2 a.m. drinking Baileys and coffee to stay awake.” “Apparently my Mom didn’t breathe the entire time I was competing”, said Rosie MacLennan, who competed in the trampoline event. But what about the ever important medal tally? Haynes rightly summed up the opinion shared by all our UofT athletes – personal performance mattered far more than the relative rankings that each athlete achieved. “To come to the Olympic Games where there is tremendous pressure and competition and to still do your best is an achievement. So all in all I’m happy with my performance”. lack of public input on it. The bill was drafted and read largely without consulting the people it would directly affect: the general public. Now, with every party campaigning for the upcoming federal elections, politicians will be coming to your door. This is the perfect opportunity to make your voice heard and ask your incumbent MP where they stand on intellectual property law. Dr. Michael Geist is a law professor at the University of Ottawa who holds the Canada Research Chair of Internet and E-commerce Law, and has written extensively on the subject and provides a detailed analysis. Interested parties could find further information at his blog: www. michaelgeist.ca. Remember, as per Part 1 of this article (the newspaper Sept. 4) that copyright beginning with the Statute of Anne in England in 1710 was originally conceived as an incentive for people to create, and to contribute to society and culture. In the Gutenberg printing days, publishers were in fact the printers who would buy and own a work outright. Printers refused to pay royalties to writers until the law compelled them to, and it was only after the enactment of the Statute of Anne that the actual creators of literary works get their fair share. Since that time, copyrighted material has come to be known as intellectual property. That word, property, has been emphasized increasingly as the potential revenues from that supposed property increased. Those in favour of legislation like Bill C-61 argue that it is the scope of the media Continued on page 7... itself that has rapidly expanded and that copyright law