Archive for October, 2010

Against Bill C-32: Creator Groups Stake Out Strong Anti-Copyright Bill Position

Update 11/1: I have received a request to remove the link to the ACTRA document on the grounds that it was posted prematurely.  I have been advised that there is not yet consensus among all groups listed in the document on the various C-32 issues.

When Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore told an IP conference last June that only two groups of radical extremists were opposed to Bill C-32, most assumed that he had user groups in mind.  Yet as various groups begin to publicly make their positions known, few have been as critical as a creator coalition that includes ACTRA, a writers’ coalition, visual arts coalition, and Quebec artists groups.  In a backgrounder on the bill, those groups oppose nearly all the major reform elements of Bill C-32, with the notable exception of digital locks (on which they remain silent).

Just how broad is the opposition?  The position paper stakes out the following positions:

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October 28, 2010 78 comments News

Law Professors Call for Halt to ACTA

Over 70 law professors have signed a public letter calling for a halt to the ACTA negotiations, focusing on the secrecy of the negotiations and the attempt in the U.S. to approve the agreement without Congressional involvement.

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October 28, 2010 1 comment News

Bloc Opposed to PIPEDA Reform Bill

Bloc MP Carole Freeman used second reading of Bill C-29, the PIPEDA reform bill, to announce her party’s opposition to the bill.  The Bloc argues that federal privacy law interferes with provincial jurisdiction.

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October 28, 2010 2 comments News

CanLII Board of Directors Appointment

I am honoured to be a new board member of CanLII, the Canadian Legal Information Institute.  Maintained by the Federation of Law Societies, CanLII is focused on free access to law.

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October 28, 2010 Comments are Disabled News

Consultation Lays Bare Divide Over Future of Canadian Book Industry

Late this summer, as thousands of Canadians were playing with their coveted new Apple iPads, the government quietly disclosed that it was conducting a regulatory review of Apple and its entry into the electronic book market.  The review caught many by surprise, with some left wondering why any government intervention was needed for another offering in the popular iTunes store.

My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes the answer lies in Canada’s longstanding cultural policy and the significant protections it establishes over the publication, distribution and sale of books.  These include restrictions on foreign entry into the Canadian marketplace that reserve majority ownership for Canadians on the premise that an open market would hamper the ability of Canadian authors, publishers and booksellers to compete.

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October 27, 2010 17 comments Columns