It's what's legal that's scandalous

Greetings from Edmonton, which (turnout-watchers take note) is being graced with the mildest and most snow-free winter I have ever seen.

I thought I would test-drive an unfamiliar weblogging interface by
linking to some of the stray Internet material about Parkdale-High Park MP Sarmite Bulte and her controversial relationship with the
entertainment and publishing industries. As chairman of the Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, Bulte quarterbacked a report on copyright reform that strongly favoured the interests of rights-holders over those of the public. As intellectual-property maven and University of Ottawa law prof Michael Geist has pointed out, Bulte's 2005 campaign is relying heavily on those same rights-holders for political contributions. It's legally kosher, but certainly enough to raise eyebrows, as media notables Jack Kapica and Antonia Zerbisias have observed online. Torontonian expatriate Cory Doctorow and IP lawyer Rob Hyndman also have concerns.

The Bulte story is just one front in the electoral theatre where weblogs have been making, or may yet make, an impact. Not so long ago, the "blogosphere" (forgive the vomitous neologism) was a little world dominated by mopey teenagers and freakish techie loners. Its influence seems to have grown by at least an order of magnitude in the short time since the last national ballot.

>> Send your comments to Colby Cosh

Posted by Colby Cosh at 15:33:43 January 4, 2006