Archive for October 28th, 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