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UK To Open Access to Legal Database

The BBC has the details on what is described as a "sea-change" in the way government information becomes available to the public.

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January 12, 2007 Comments are Disabled News

Copyright and Digital Markets

Canadian Press is reporting this evening that the introduction of a copyright reform bill is imminent, with the article stating that "sources say the new legislation is ready, but Heritage Minister Bev Oda and [Industry Minister Maxime] Bernier are struggling on final wording that gives each the maximum political brownie points."  The article, which features comments from myself, CRIA's Graham Henderson, and Howard Knopf, does a good job of highlighting at least two of the key issues – fair use and digital markets – that will be front and centre once the legislation is introduced.

As is the case in many other countries (Australia, UK, New Zealand), there is a growing awareness of the limits of fair dealing/fair use, particularly with respect to time/place/device shifting.  Consumers rightly take for granted that they have the right to record a television show or a copy a CD for their iPod.  Under current Canadian copyright law, such activities are at best in a legal grey zone.  Unless the government addresses the fair use issue, expect Canadians (and the media) to be very vocal about the failure to address a fundamental issue in need of reform.

Another issue that will garner considerable attention is the question of digital markets.  Graham Henderson hints at the issue in his comments, when he suggests that anti-circumvention legislation is needed to facilitate the development of new digital services, comparing the popularity of services in the U.S. with those in Canada. This argument represents a clever sleight of hand that confuses the facilitation of new services with the popularity and market acceptance of those services. 

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January 11, 2007 8 comments News

Libraries in the Digital Age

The Globe and Mail features a terrific article today on the transformation of community libraries.  Far from disappearing in the digital age, libraries are experiencing dramatic increases in both visits and circulation.  The article notes that the Grande Bibliothèque in Montreal gets 8,000 visitors per day, while other libraries are […]

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January 10, 2007 3 comments News

Smells Like Teen Spirit

My colleague Ian Kerr offers a lyrical and thought-provoking look at what we can expect of the reasonable expectation of privacy.

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January 10, 2007 Comments are Disabled News

Weatherall’s Law

Kim Weatherall, whose blog has been an influential, must-read for months on all things to do with Australian IP reform, has decided to scale back with no further postings (though she plans to post less frequently at LawFont).  She concludes her last post by thanking her readers, but it is […]

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January 10, 2007 1 comment News