Must Reads

• Anti-Counterfeiting ACTA Bill Referred to Industry Committee

  Bill C-56, the anti-counterfeiting bill that opens the door the Canadian implementation of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, has been referred to the Industry Committee for review. The government imposed time allocation on the bill to move it to committee. The debate on the bill yesterday suggested that all parties support the premise of the legislation, but the opposition wants further study and potential amendments. Perhaps most troubling was the intervention of the Liberal party, who are seeking to extend the bill to seizures of in-transit shipments. In Europe, in-transit shipment seizure provisions have led to seizures of generic pharmaceuticals, creating a major access-to-medicines concern.Jun.13/13Comments (0)

• Library and Archives Canada Delays Paywall Plans

  Library and Archives Canada has delayed plans for a major digitization initiative with Canadiana.org. The plans leaked online earlier this week, attracting considerable criticism for the creation of a paywall.Jun.12/13Comments (2)

• University of Toronto, Western Provide Notice to Access Copyright That They Will Not Extend Licence

  Ariel Katz reports that the University of Toronto has notified Access Copyright that it will not extend the current licence agreement. It points to a range of factors - the SCC decisions, copyright reform, and open access among them - to argue that there should be substantial reductions in the royalty rate. The university is open to negotiating a new agreement with that in mind. Meanwhile, Western is adopting much the same position, notifying Access Copyright that it will not be renewing but leaving the door open to a new agreement with reduced fees.Jun.11/13Comments (0)

• Discussing the CRTC Consumer Wireless Code on CTV's Power Play

  I appeared yesterday on CTV's Power Play to discuss the CRTC's Consumer Wireless Code. The video can be accessed here.
  Jun.04/13Comments (0)

• Canadian Library Association on Access Copyright Lawsuit

  The Canadian Library Association issued a statement late last week on the Access Copyright lawsuit filed against York University, urging it to abandon the lawsuit and pointing to several legal concerns.May.21/13Comments (0)

• Competition Bureau To Investigate Google Canada

  The National Post reports that the Competition Bureau of Canada plans to launch an investigation into Google Canada. The scope of the investigation is unknown.May.21/13Comments (0)

• Ethics Committee Releases Study on Privacy and Social Media

  The Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy, and Ethics has released its study on privacy and social media. The report includes recommendations for new Privacy Commissioner guidelines. The NDP supplemented those recommendations with nine additional legislative proposals that include mandatory security breach disclosure, order making power for the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, and the inclusion of privacy issues as part of a national digital economy strategy.Apr.23/13Comments (1)

• Government Reveals Thousands of Data and Privacy Breaches

  The federal government has responded to a question from MP Charlie Angus on privacy and security breaches by revealing that there have been thousands of breaches over the past decade. The stunning response acknowledges over 3,000 breaches that have affected over a million Canadians.Apr.23/13Comments (0)

• Debate Over Wireless Competition in Canada Continues in the House of Commons and on the Air

  The debate over the state of wireless competition in Canada continues to rage. Last week, I appeared on CBC's The Current, as part of a 30 minute segment devoted to the wireless industry. The issue was also discussed during Question Period at the House of Commons, with Industry Minister Christian Paradis focusing on competition and consumers:
  

  We want to enhance competition and investment in this country, and this is why we adopted this policy back in 2008 for the AWS spectrum. Let me say that the price went down by an average of 11% since then, and we will continue this way with the 700 megahertz spectrum. We launched consultation with the industry to make sure that we enhance competition and provide better choice and better rates for our consumers.

  
  

  Apr.22/13Comments (0)

• Open Media: Why High Cell Phone Bills Have Nothing to do With Canadian Geography

  OpenMedia has an interesting post that takes a close look at the claim that the large Canadian geography is responsible for high cell phone prices. The post notes that coverage actually focuses on as little as 20 percent of the country.
  Apr.22/13Comments (0)