Tory MP: We Won't Enforce New Digital Lock Laws

Lee Richardson is probably getting an earful this morning from the PMO over his honesty with the Tories' copyright bill.

Much hay has been made over a provision in the Conservative's copyright bill that would make it illegal to break digital locks on CDs and DVDs, even in cases of doing so for strictly personal use. But one Tory MP, Lee Richardson, told a constituent in a letter not to worry, saying that it's not likely anyone would ever actually be prosecuted for doing so. Via Michael Geist's blog:

"According to Richardson: 'If a digital lock is broken for personal use, it is not realistic that the creator would choose to file a law suit against the consumer, due to legal fees and time involved.'

In other words, Canadians should not be concerned by digital lock rules because they can simply break the lock without fear of being sued."

So, let's get this straight: The Tories want to pass the copyright bill to upgrade our decades-old laws on the subject (which many have speculated they're doing due to U.S. pressure), yet have no intention of actually enforcing them? Then why are we bothering to go through with these provisions at all? We're guessing that Richardson is getting a strip torn off him by higher ups behind closed doors this morning, but at least he inadvertently exposed the thought processes of his party when it comes to making changes to Criminal Code.