For the first time in Canada, an individual has been convicted of Crown copyright infringement under the Copyright Act. He received a six month jail sentence, to be served within the community on a conditional sentence, and 75 hours of community service. Tony O'Connor, Director General of CHS, which is a part of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said the conviction is an example of the CHS's new, get tough policy against the illegal copying of its digital and paper charts. It's important that people understand that copying CHS's electronic charts is against the law, just as the theft of any property is against the law. These charts are Crown property and their sales help fund important CHS charting activity throughout Canada.
Data can become corrupted in the copying and boaters can end up using faulty charts.
This can put the safety, and even the lives, of boaters at risk. The CHS has extensive quality control procedures in place to ensure its charts are of the highest quality.