More On Sam Bulte

Michael Geist notes, “The Sam Bulte fundraiser story has gone mainstream”, in his lengthy response to comments Bulte recently made about him. He has also written a summary of the whole affair, taking note of blog involvement (here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here)

Bulte and Henderson appear to think that they can ride this storm out by arguing that the technical legality of the fundraiser should end the discussion or by attacking the messenger. I suspect that they are wrong. The issue was apparently discussed at this week’s all-candidates meeting, it continues to generate enormous discussion among the bloggers, receive profile from political sites such as Bourque (“Bulte Buntoss Blows Up”), and even the blog on Quill and Quire has described it as “problematic”. The time has come for Ms. Bulte to cancel the fundraiser and take the Copyright Pledge.

CopyrightWatch.ca is also taking a deeper look at Bulte’s past.

In the November, 2000, election, Ms. Bulte had managed to scoop up over $81,000 in campaign financing. And now some of the big copyright names are there: SOCAN, the Canadian Motion Pictures Distributors Association, Alliance Communications Corporation, Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc., Epitome Pictures, Chapters, CanWest Global, CTV, Rogers Communications, Baton Broadcasting, Good Earth Ventures and the Astral Television Network. Interestingly, there are a number of other IP intensive industries represented: beer (Molsons), wine (Pilliteri Estates Winery) and pharmaceuticals (Pfizer and Apotex – makes you wonder what she said to these two!). And when the 37th Parliament began on January 29, 2001, voila, Ms. Bulte began publicly uttering pro-copyright platitudes.

Mainstream coverage here, here, here and here and also check Google News too.

Bulte’s opponent, Peggy Nash is also weighing in on the issue.

Again, via Boing Boing.