Archive for February, 2009

Canadian Digital Broadcast Transition Won’t Include Conversion Box Program

Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore yesterday told the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage that the government would not be supporting a conversion box program like that implemented in the U.S. to support the digital broadcast transition.  Moore said that the rapid pace of technological change makes it difficult to make […]

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February 10, 2009 8 comments News

The Cost of Culture.ca

During the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage hearing yesterday, Minister James Moore revealed that – given the high cost of maintenance and low traffic – the Culture.ca portal cost $1.98 per hit to the site.  Funding was stopped over the summer as part of the culture cuts.

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February 10, 2009 3 comments News

Senate Spam Bill Reintroduced

As the government dithers on anti-spam legislation, Senator Yoine Goldstein's anti-spam bill has been reintroduced in the Senate.

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February 10, 2009 2 comments News

SCC To Webcast Hearings

Slaw reports that the Supreme Court of Canada now plans to offer webcasts of its hearings.

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February 10, 2009 1 comment News

Peeking Behind Canada’s Copyright Complaint Against China at the WTO

Late last month, the World Trade Organization released a much-anticipated decision involving a U.S.-led complaint against China over its intellectual property laws.  Canada was among a number of countries that participated in the case, which alleged that China’s domestic laws, border measures, and criminal penalties for intellectual property violations do not comply with its international treaty obligations.

On April 25, 2007, David Emerson, then the Minister of International Trade, issued a press release announcing Canada's participation, stating that it was "based on concerns expressed by Canadian stakeholders on a range of issues related to China's intellectual property rights regime." Yet, as reported in my weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) according to dozens of internal Canadian government documents obtained under the Access to Information Act, Canadian officials, unable to amass credible evidence of harm to Canadian interests, harboured significant doubts about the wisdom of joining the case and ultimately did so only under the weight of great pressure from the United States.

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February 9, 2009 10 comments Columns