ChinaDaily.com reports that prosecution for online copyright infringement reached record levels in China last year. However, Yan Xiaohong, vice-minister of the National Copyright Administration (NCA), at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office stated that “Internet copyright infringement is still very prevalent in the country.” Yan called for tougher legislation. “Fines and sentences meted out have not been enough,” he said. “We must make offenders realize the costs of violation are too high for them to continue.”

Meanwhile, P2Pnet.net is circulating Fair Copyright for Canada principles in an attempt to diffuse, moderate or influence new copyright laws severely limiting the use of digital media under consideration by Canadian Parliament. Unlike the Best Use Principles for User-Generated Content, this position moves upstream from practice to policy, by attempting to affect the outcome of the Canadian DMCA.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., that pug was definitely Truman.

Washington Post writer, Monica Hesse, notes that the incidence of large corporations infringing the copyrights of individuals is soaring. (Unlike Canada, in the U.S. one must register copyright in order to have any enforceable rights–seldom done by authors of user-generated content.) Ms. Hess goes on to comment that “in an increasingly user-generated world where the public is the artist, sometimes it’s the big boys who get grabby. And the questions that arise are about ownership, but they are also about fairness, and changing culture, and ultimately, the search for authenticity.”

As our norms are changing and user-generated content is rapidly overtaking studio content, does it still make sense that our governments are focusing on protecting large content owners? More importantly, is China, Canada, or the United States ready for a conversation about this.

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