Archive for May, 2009

CAIP Calls on CRTC To Reverse Bell Throttling Decision

The Canadian Association of Internet Providers has filed an application with the CRTC that calls on the Commission to rescind its November 2008 Bell throttling decision.  The application alleges multiple errors of fact and law in the decision and points specifically to the CRTC's lack of a full understanding of the issues raised in the proceeding.  CAIP argues that the CRTC specifically launched the larger net neutrality proceeding this summer in order to gain that fuller understanding, but argues that:

A broader proceeding in order to understand the complex issues raised in the CAIP application is a perfectly acceptable and responsible means of developing a thoughtful policy approach and decision on network management.  What is entirely unfair and unacceptable, however, is the fact that the Commission rendered Decision 2008-108 without the benefit of a comprehensive understanding of the factual, legal and policy issues at play.  In particular, if the Commission did not believe that it had an adequate evidentiary record or did not have a full understanding of the factual and legal issues raised by Bell's throttling of wholesale GAS services to be able to determine in an unqualified and final manner the issues raised in the CAIP proceeding, then it was procedurally unfair for the Commission to have rendered a decision on CAIP's application.

Moreover, CAIP highlights a concern raised by many in the net neutrality world – that the CRTC has already decided many of the bigger issues even before the July hearings begin.  CAIP notes that:

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May 21, 2009 7 comments News

Canada Working To Kill Negotiations on Medical R&D Treaty

Jamie Love reports from Geneva that Canada is working together with the U.S., E.U., and Norway to kill a proposal to begin negotiations on a Medical Research & Development Treaty that enjoys support from a cross-section of the developing world.  The negotiations are taking place this week in Geneva at […]

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May 21, 2009 2 comments News

Canadian Firm Wins $200 Million Patent Award Over Microsoft

CNET reports that i4i, a Toronto-based firm, has been awarded US$200 million in damages from Microsoft in a patent infringement case.  A Texas jury ruled that the custom XML tagging features of Word 2003 and Word 2007 infringed on an i4i patent.

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May 20, 2009 6 comments News

U.S. Congressional Caucus Places Canada On Another Watch List

Because one unfounded and unsupportable designation as a pirate nation is never enough, the U.S. Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus has placed Canada on a watch list alongside China, Mexico, Russia and Spain.  This is a separate list from the USTR Special 301 list.

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May 20, 2009 5 comments News

CAIRS.Info: The Launch of a New Access-To-Information Site

Last year, the Government discontinued the operation of the CAIRS database, which was the leading source of information on access to information requests across all federal government departments. By searching CAIRS, Canadians could easily identify prior requests, thereby reducing taxpayer costs by reducing duplicative requests. For many years, Online Democracy […]

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May 20, 2009 4 comments News