Must Reads

• EU-Backed Study Finds Counterfeits Pro-Consumer, Rejects Company Complaints

  A new report funded by the European Union has concluded that counterfeits have pro-consumer effects while rejecting claims of losses by established companies.  The report concludes that most counterfeit purchases are not substitute for the genuine article and actually help promote the brand.  The report finds that the real cost could be one-fifth of previously calculated figures. Aug.31/10Comments (2)

• CRTC Mandates Wholesale Access for ISPs

  The CRTC yesterday affirmed an earlier decision requiring incumbents to grant wholesale access to faster speeds to independent ISPs.  The government could still overrule the decision within the next 90 days. Aug.31/10Comments (4)

• James Moore on the Private Copying Levy

  "As technology changes, the levy is not an effective mechanism to compensate copyright creators for possible theft of their work. For that reason, our Government has not included an expansion of the private copying regime to iPods and other devices in our recently proposed amendments to copyright. Instead, we have included strong measures to deter and prevent all forms of piracy in order that creators can be rightly compensated for their work through market mechanisms."  Full letter here. Aug.30/10Comments (17)

• Google, Yahoo Concerned About Bill C-32's Enabler Provision

  The Wire Report reports (sub required) that Google and Yahoo are concerned with the "enabler" provision in Bill C-32.  The provision is designed to target sites that facilitate but the search engines fear it could have unintended consequences. Aug.30/10Comments (1)

• CRA Cracks Down on eBay Seller

  The Canada Revenue Agency has fined a B.C. man $68,000 for failing to report sales on eBay. Aug.30/10Comments (0)

• Next ACTA Round To Be Vice-Ministerial Level Meeting

  The Japanese media is reporting that the next round of ACTA negotations in Tokyo will be a Vice-Ministerial level meeting, providing further confirmation that countries expect to conclude the agreement at the late September meeting. Aug.27/10Comments (3)

• CIPPIC Says Facebook Failing Privacy Promises

  CIPPIC argues that Facebook has failed to comply with the privacy commitments it made as part of last year's settlement with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Aug.27/10Comments (0)

• Estimating the Economic Impact of Google Book Search

  A new article forthcoming in the prestigious Journal of the Copyright Society of the USA attempts to estimate the economic impact of Google Book Search on the publishing industry.  The study finds no evidence of negative impact and some evidence of a positive impact. Aug.26/10Comments (0)

• Postmedia on Access Copyright Tariff Proposal

  Postmedia covers the mounting concern over the Access Copyright tariff proposal with a story on how the tariff could stifle Internet users and researchers. Aug.24/10Comments (0)

• Was No Copyright the Real Reason Behind Germany's Industrial Expansion?

  Many people have written to point to this interesting article in Der Spiegel, which points to a new book that concludes that German's rapid industrial expansion in the 19th century may have been due to the absence of copyright law. Aug.24/10Comments (2)