Archive for December 5th, 2007

Cellphone Spectrum Set-Aside Simply Step One

My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, Ottawa Citizen version, homepage version) focuses on the recent government spectrum allocation announcement.  I argue that new wireless competition will be welcome news to consumers, however, it represents only part of the solution.  The day before the Prentice press conference, U.S.-based Verizon Wireless shocked the industry by announcing that next year it will adopt an "open network" approach that will remove the restrictive walled garden that typifies the incumbent carriers.  Instead, its customers will be permitted to use any device and any application that meets minimum technical standards. The Verizon decision comes just weeks after Google introduced a partnership with leading U.S. carriers such as Sprint and T-Mobile to create the Open Handset Alliance, which will similarly enable consumers to use devices that are fully open to new innovation and third-party programs.

This rush toward an open cellphone market stands in sharp contrast to years of restricted networks that left decisions about new devices and functionality strictly in the hands of a few dominant cellphone providers. 

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December 5, 2007 1 comment Columns

RCMP Demonstrates That Movie Piracy Law Unnecessary

Throughout the debate over Bill C-59, Canada's fast-tracked anti-camcording law, I consistently argued that there was no need for additional legislation since the Copyright Act was already well-equipped to deal with problem (documents obtained under the Access to Information Act reveal that that was the view of Department of Justice […]

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December 5, 2007 7 comments News

Prentice To Oppose Canadian Universities

The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada has issued its position paper on copyright reform.  If the bill coming next week is as expected, Industry Minister Jim Prentice will be issuing a major rejection of the concerns of Canada's higher education community.  The AUCC has listed four recommendations – […]

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December 5, 2007 2 comments News