Archive for February 16th, 2016

Trade Mark by Steve Snodgrass (CC BY 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/75EuAu

The Trouble With the TPP, Day 31: Canadian Trademark Law Overhaul

The Trouble with the TPP continues with another area of intellectual property that is subject to an overhaul due to largely to the trade agreement: trademark law. The Canadian government’s summary on the issue once again understates the significance of the changes with assurances that the TPP is “in line with Canada’s existing regime” and “supports Canada’s progress to accede to the Madrid Protocol and Nice Agreement.”

The reality is that government recently passed a massive overhaul of trademark law with little consultation or debate in anticipation of the TPP requirements. In fact, government negotiators opposed some of the trademark requirements in the TPP until very late in the negotiations (including some of the Nice Agreement provisions) recognizing that it was not consistent with Canadian law at the time. The planned Canadian changes are not expected to come into force until 2018 at the earliest.

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February 16, 2016 Comments are Disabled News
Ottawa City Hall by Lord of the Wings© (CC BY-SA 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/4PJ1QX

City Councils Strike Back in Bell Broadband Battle

The Canadian battle over broadband services has taken an unexpected turn in recent weeks as Bell’s effort to win high profile support for its appeal of a crucial ruling issued by Canada’s telecom regulator appears to have backfired. After support from Toronto Mayor John Tory and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson for the telecom giant came to light, city councillors in both cities fought back with motions rejecting the mayors’ positions and expressing support for more competitive Internet services.

My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes that the issue started with a July 2015 Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission decision that extended policy measures designed to support independent Internet providers to emerging fast fibre connections. The ruling meant that Bell would be required to share their infrastructure with independent carriers on a wholesale basis. The policy guarantees Bell a profit on the connections, but also promotes increased competition that should provide consumers with more choice and better pricing.

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February 16, 2016 3 comments Columns

City Councils Strike Back in Broadband Battle

Appeared in the Toronto Star on February 14, 2016 as Cities Choose Sides in High-Speed Internet Battle The Canadian battle over broadband services has taken an unexpected turn in recent weeks as Bell’s effort to win high profile support for its appeal of a crucial ruling issued by Canada’s telecom […]

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February 16, 2016 Comments are Disabled Columns Archive