Archive for December 18th, 2009

WIPO Treaty for the Blind Gains Momentum, But Canada Missing in Action

The World Intellectual Property Organization is meeting this week with considerable momentum toward work on a Treaty for the Blind that would establish important copyright limitations and exceptions to ensure broader access for the sight disabled.  While the U.S. had emerged as a leader with a surprising shift in approach, […]

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December 18, 2009 2 comments News

The Netherlands Leads BitTorrent Rankings, But What Does That Really Mean?

TorrentFreak recently published the Top 25 Most Popular Torrent Sites of 2009, which charts the most-trafficked public, English-language sites. A CRIA lobbyist wasted little time in claiming that the list shows that Canada is "the number one location for unauthorized BitTorrent sites." Notably, the list only includes English-language sites so the exclusion of Chinese, Russian, and other language sites means that global claims aren't possible based on the list.

Even within the limited English language world, the piece toyed with funny math, however, sometimes relying on hosting to determine location, other times using site registration and then combining the two metrics to inflate the Canadian position.  If hosting is indeed the correct metric, the Netherlands was actually ranked first, followed by Canada, Sweden, and the United States.  The full list:

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December 18, 2009 75 comments News

European Telecom Operators Speak Out on ACTA

The European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association has issued an expert contribution on the ACTA negotiations.  The ETNO expresses concern about the lack of transparency and disproportionate measures under consideration.

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December 18, 2009 Comments are Disabled News

NZ Government ACTA Briefing Posted Online

The recent New Zealand government ACTA briefing materials have been posted online.  The powerpoint presentation confirms widely known information, but fails to shed new light on the agreement.

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December 18, 2009 2 comments News