Canadian music downloaders deterred by US lawsuits

When it comes to a topic as arcane as computer security or the law perhaps Canadians can be forgiven for listening to the loud voices of authority figures in the media, even if the authority figure's opinion is irrelevant. That's what I was thinking as I read this story on the latest Ipsos-Reid poll showing a marked decline in Canadian music downloading. It seems that the waves of lawsuits South of the border are impacting Canadians' comfort when it comes to downloading music files despite the recent Canadian decision, now under appeal, which found that not only downloading but also uploading music files does not infringe upon Canadian copyright law.

Despite this setback, the president of the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) is quoted as saying, "There are still 120 million downloads a month from illegal sites and sources." Sorry pal, until you get a win in the courts or successfully lobby the feds to change the Copyright Act, there are no illegal sites.