Before I start explaining what the International Intellectual Property Alliance is doing, I wish to say what a load of crap this all is.
The alliance (IIPA), based in Washington, is demanding the Canada government either re-write our copyright law or be placed on a Priority Watch List.
The co-founder of the IIPA is Eric Smith, who in a news release recommends that Canada, along with Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, India, Israel, Mexico, China, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine and Venezuela be placed on the Priority Watch List.
The IIPA noted that Canada’s copyright laws are outdated, but the government has not proposed any new copyright reform bill.
Well, please excuse Prime Minister Stephen Harper if he has more pressing things on his agenda such as A.) Getting re-elected; B.) The conflict in Afghanistan, a mess the Americans made that Canada has to clean up for them because the U.S. has put a good chunk of its troops in Iraq; and C.) A whole host of other important issues such as healthcare, education, fisheries, softwood lumber, the Goods and Services Tax, the cattle beef scare and I can go on and on.
The IIPA is going to go to U.S. President George W. Bush with its recommendations. So basically they are telling on Canada.
Come on folks. Let’s get real here. Do you think Bush or anyone else in the Congress will recommend or put forth any economic sanctions to Canada?
What is the IIPA going to say to Microsoft, whose products are pirated extensively in Canada? Stop doing business in here? Seriously, these lobbyists should give their collective heads a shake.
The IIPA is nothing that a mouthpiece for the U.S. recording industry, which has a bad track record of digital innovation and can’t figure out how to make money off of file sharing.
I particularly love the line in the IIPA release that reads: Governments should adopt effective legislation and take aggressive enforcement action to deal with piracy of business software and other copyrighted materials within enterprises, which causes huge losses to the U.S. economy.
Well, so much for the International Intellectual Property Alliance being international. They only care about the U.S. economy.
And if that is the case then maybe Prime Minister Harper should address Canada’s copyright law on his own terms. He is after all running the country. Not Eric Smith.
Now the IIPA can argue about Canada’s copyright laws and they may have point, but this heavy-handed approach will not work because leaders such as Harper, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, China’s Hu Jintao and other political leaders do not respond to idle threats.
One quick hit before I go. The PR practitioners at High Road Communications will be happy learn that Avaya Canada has come back into its fold. Avaya dropped High Road early last year for reasons unknown to the staff.
– Posted by Paolo Del Nibletto, 2/16/07, 10:10 AM, [email protected]
Guess who’s taking the lead in the Vista era?
Talk about making a statement in the ever-increasing mobile market place.
Asus of Taiwan is definitely making that and they are doing with channel partners.
The company’s latest notebooks look like winners to me because they are personalized and have built in upselling add ons, which increases margins.
For example, the Asus SG leather notebook – Pink Edition. This is a gorgeous, leather-bound notebook computer. Now this is not for me, but for women in the work place who want to stand out. I think this will allow them to do that.
I do not see this product getting on an IT manager’s radar screen any time soon. However, if small businesses desire a unique look, this kind of notebook provides it.
For example, Nerds On Site could supply its field staff with red leather notebooks with the Nerds On Site logo. They already have the red VW Bugs, so why not go the extra-mile?
Asus is also giving the channel a chance to sell these units. This is not a retail product. The company has selected four solution providers, only in the U.S., unfortunately, to offer these limited edition notebooks.
The company also offers a host of high margin accessory products such as a carrying case that looks exactly like a handbag, a pink mouse, and a travel box.
If the pink model takes off there will be other colours and licensing opportunities, such as with the NFL, who are the kings of licensing.
Now it is true that the Acer Ferrari notebook did not do well, but that was positioned as a novelty for race fans. This notebook is not a novelty. It is the start of something. Can you imagine a notebook made of titanium or gold? The sky’s the limit.
Asus also unveiled a compact 12-inch wide notebook with an external auxiliary display on the LCD cover. This company is truly pushing the envelope on notebook design.
And the prices are in the premium range for these products. Wouldn’t you rather sell this product at just under $2,999 than your run-of-the-mill black $799 notebook?
Two quick hits before I go. Former deputy prime minister John Manley is working with the CATAAlliance on its Innovation Nation Platform. Manley was known as the high-tech insider on Parliament Hill when he was industry minister.
Dell has lost another executive. This time it is John Hamlin, Dell’s head of global online and brand marketing. He supposedly turned down a promotion to run Dell’s consumer group opting to leave the company.
– Posted by Paolo Del Nibletto, 2/15/07, 10:15 AM, [email protected]
Valentine’s day is not always about love
Happy Valentine’s day to you. This day has also been known, recently anyways, as Singles Awareness Day.
Besides being a day when the greeting card industry and flower shops around town cash in, it is also a primary day for the virus busters of the IT world to start warning us about potential virus and other threats.
My e-mail inbox has been overloaded with messages from all of the top security vendors, and even those who wish to be a top security vendor one day.
They tell me to watch out and get protected because there is going to be a major hit on Valentine’s Day.
Please . . . the last major hit on Valentine’s Day happened in 1929 when Al Capone’s gang rubbed out seven members of Bugs Moran’s gang.
Even Frank “Tight Lips” Gusenberg, in his dying breath, said to police he knew nothing of any hit.
And this is my point. Why shell shock the market with notices of potential threats? I think by now everyone in IT management and the channel knows computers must be protected and they make sure their users or customers are.
People don’t care about potential threats or viruses or hackers until they are hit. Users want the computer to work. What they are looking for is the same reliability as the plain old telephone.
If these holiday or special event postings are meant to get consumers aware of the potential threats, then I think this whole Valentine’s Day gloom and doom message is a waste of time because they aren’t thinking about zero-day attacks, Trojan horses or phishing scams. If they are male they are thinking about buying flowers, cards, making dinner arrangements, figure out how to pay for all of it. If they are female they are hoping to be asked out and taken to a hot spot where they can be seen.
As for those celebrating Singles Awareness Day, there are seven games in the NHL and NBA tonight. For my female friends, Russell Stover also makes non-Valentine’s Day chocolates, which are a lot cheaper today than the ones in the red heart-shaped boxes.
One quick hit before I go. Mike Sandman
