The Canadian Library Association is meeting this week in Ottawa and the association is marking the occasion by releasing a public letter to Ministers Bernier and Oda on copyright reform. Representing 57,000 library staff and thousands of libraries, the CLA recommends "caution and reflection". Should the government move on copyright, […]
Fair Dealing by Giulia Forsythe (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/dRkXwP
Copyright
Captain Copyright and the Case of the Critical Link
My weekly Law Bytes column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) examines the linking issues associated with Captain Copyright. While the linking policy has gone through several edits, the column argues that it is doubtful that any version is actually enforceable. First, it is by no means certain that the terms […]
CRIA’s Lobby Effort: The Untold Story
On the heels of last week's posting on election financial support for Canadian Heritage Minister Bev Oda, the Hill Times runs a special op-ed I've written that focuses on an unreported CRIA lobby effort from earlier this year (Hill Times version, homepage version). According to information released under the Access to Information Act, at 10:01 in the morning of February 6, 2006, at the precise moment that a new Conservative cabinet was being sworn into office at Rideau Hall, David Dyer, a senior consultant with the Capital Hill Group and a registered lobbyist for the Canadian Recording Industry Association, sent an email to Patricia Neri, the Director General of Canadian Heritage's Copyright Policy Branch.
The email included a suggested outline for a March 2nd event focused on copyright reform. It envisioned a meeting with the Canadian Heritage Deputy Minister Judith LaRoque, two hours of presentations from speakers sympathetic to CRIA's position, lunch with deputy ministers from Heritage, Industry, and International Trade, and a private meeting with the soon-to-named Minister of Canadian Heritage.
One month later, virtually the identical scenario played itself out in Canadian Heritage's Gatineau offices and in the private dining room of a swank nearby restaurant.
Sweden Considers Legalizing P2P File Sharing
Sweden's Justice Minister has said that the country is open to legalizing P2P file sharing. The Minister raised the prospect of reversing the current ban, noting that the law has not reduced file sharing and that it could be replaced with a compensatory levy.
Access Copyright Responds
Access Copyright is quoted in this article on the Captain Copyright controversy, responding to the concerns regarding the site and its approach to copyright education.
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