RCMP shills for corporate interests?

Not that the RCMP would ever distort anything to advance the interests of the rich and powerful-- but the very popular British info tech news and rumour site, The Inquirer, has picked up on a Michael Geist investigative expose:

"Canadian coppers admit making up piracy figures"
-$30 billion figure simply plucked from bottom
-By Nick Farrell: Wednesday 19 September 2007, 08:52"

"FOR MONTHS, Canadian coppers have been claiming that software piracy costs the country $30 billion.
The figure has been used by countless lobby groups to get the Canadian authorities to bring in some tougher anti-piracy laws.
US Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins even quoted the figure in a March 2007 speech critical of Canadian law.
....
The sources for the outrageous claim came from an unsubstantiated telly news piece, which in turn got the figure from the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition, which happens to be the movie, recording and software industry in drag, and which simply made it up

It seems that the RCMP just saw the figure which was plucked out of the bottom of the IACC and printed it as its own. Soon they'll try solving their cases by looking to see who did it on Wikipedia."

[url=http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=42449]The Inq[/url]
[url=http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/2243/135/]Michael Geist[/url]