Archive for June 24th, 2013

Is the Government About to Can Its Own Anti-Spam Law?

Appeared in the Toronto Star on June 22, 2013 as Anti-Spam Law Could be Canned by Government In May 2010, then-Industry Minister Tony Clement introduced anti-spam legislation that he admitted was long overdue. Clement acknowledged that “Canada is seen as a haven for spammers because of the gaps in our […]

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June 24, 2013 Comments are Disabled Columns Archive

The Motion Picture Association’s Fight Against a Treaty to Support the Visually Impaired

Earlier this month, I wrote about a diplomatic conference in Morocco designed to finalize a much-needed copyright treaty for the visually impaired. The column noted that the treaty seeks to do two things: first, it establishes minimum standards for copyright limitations and exceptions for the visually impaired. Second, the treaty would facilitate the export of accessible works.

The conference is now in its second week with growing fears that there will be no deal. The major hold-out appears to be the United States, which is blocking consensus on a range of issues. According to documents released over the weekend, the primary source of the U.S. opposition comes from the motion picture association, which has engaged in months of behind-the-scenes lobbying designed to dismantle the treaty.  For example, the MPA is trying to block the inclusion of a fair use/fair dealing provision, despite the fact that many countries (led by the U.S.) already have such a rule.

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June 24, 2013 4 comments News

Canadian Secrecy on the TPP

CBC’s Curt Petrovich reports on how Canada is among the most secretive of the Trans Pacific Partnership countries, refusing to answer basic questions on a recent negotiation session quietly conducted in Vancouver.

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June 24, 2013 2 comments News

SurfEasy: New Advisory Board Position and Reddit AMA

I am very pleased to announce that I’ve joined the advisory board of SurfEasy, a Toronto-based company focused on providing tools to better control online privacy.  As part of the launch, I’ll be participating in a Reddit AMA on Tuesday afternoon.

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June 24, 2013 1 comment News