Must Reads

• Athabasca, Winnipeg, & Windsor Will Not Sign Access Copyright Model Licence

  Following UBC's announcement that it will not sign the Access Copyright model licence, three additional universities have followed suit - Athabasca, Windsor, and Winnipeg. The four universities demonstrate that the licence raises concerns in all types of universites - big, medium, small and distance-focused. May.22/12Comments (2)

• European Union Set To Provide 80 Billion Euro Boost to Open Access

  Reports indicate that the European Union is set to provide an 80 billion euro boost to open access by making open access publishing the norm for its Horizon 2020 research program. May.22/12Comments (1)

• Romania Will Not Ratify ACTA

  Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta says his country will not ratify the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement unless the European Parliament modifies the agreement. Since the EP does not have the power to amend ACTA, that makes ratification unlikely. May.22/12Comments (1)

• Exporting Copyright: Inside the TPP

  Ars Technica has a good article on the Trans Pacific Partnership and the copyright concerns raised by the proposed agreement. May.18/12Comments (1)

• U.S. Law Professors Raise ACTA Constitutional Concerns

  Dozens of leading U.S. law professors have written to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance to express concern about the lack of constitutional authority to approve the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement without submitting it for Congressional approval.
  May.17/12Comments (0)

• Genomics Editor Steps Down Over Open Access Concerns

  Harvard Professor Winston Hide has stepped down from the editorial board of the prestigious Genomics journal over the lack of open access.
  May.17/12Comments (0)

• More Opposition to the Access Copyright Model Licence

  In addition to the UBC decision to not sign the Access Copyright model licence, the Manitoba Library Association has added its voice in opposition to the agreement. Moreover, the Trent University Senate has adopted a motion stating "that the Senate, in solidarity with the CAUT, the CFS and dozens of other constituent and governing bodies, reject this unfair and unreasonable AUCC-Access Copyright 'model license' and instead affirm and abide by 'the right to fair and reasonable access to copyrighted works for educational purposes.'" May.16/12Comments (1)

• Is Lawful Access Dead? Not Yet.

  The Globe's John Ibbitson has a column that confirms much of the private speculation about lawful access, namely that the bill is going nowhere so long as Vic Toews remains public safety minister. This is consistent with the prevailing view that Toews is so closely associated with the worst of the bill - warrantless disclosure of subscriber information, new surveillance technologies, and divisive us vs. them framing - that a change will be needed for the bill to come back. Ibbitson focuses on the likelihood of Parliament proroging before the bill is revamped and returns, yet speculating on those issues is always difficult.  What is certain is that lawful access will return at some point, meaning Canadians will need to remain vigilant to ensure that any future bill addresses the myriad of concerns associated with Bill C-30. May.16/12Comments (2)

• Del Mastro on Format Shifting

  Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro offers up one of the oddest copyright analogies during the C-11 debate, likening format shifting to socks and shoes. May.16/12Comments (12)

• Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch on Canada's Penske File

  The Wall Streeet Journal's MarketWatch picks up on Canada's missing digital economy strategy, using the Penske File framing to discuss the failure of Industry Minister Christian Paradis to lead on the file. May.16/12Comments (0)