The release of the United States Supreme Court’s Grokster decision this past Monday generated, as expected, an avalanche of breathless headlines proclaiming victory for the recording industry and a “shutting of the tap” of music on peer-to-peer file sharing systems. While the highest court in the U.S. did indeed unanimously […]
Archive for June, 2005
Canada-U.S.-Mexico Plan Raises IP, Spam and Privacy Issues
The Canadian, U.S., and Mexican government quietly released their Security and Prosperity Partnership for North America today. While the documents contain the usual high level commitments, several elements are worth watching from an technology and privacy law perspective.
Canadian Pay Radio Decision Appealed
As expected, a group of associations have filed a letter requesting that the federal government set aside or refer back to the CRTC the recent pay radio decision. The groups launching the appeal include ACTRA, the Canadian Independent Record Production Association, the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, the Directors Guild of Canada, the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, the National Campus and Community Radio Association, SOCAN, the Songwriters Association of Canada, and the Writers Guild of Canada.
Grokster and the Future of P2P
As many readers will have heard, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Grokster earlier today (Souter opinion, Ginsburg concurrence, Breyer concurrence).
I'm participating in a discussion of the decision at the Wall Street Journal online (free access for roundtable). My initial take and posting is:
Bill C-60 A Missed Opportunity
My regular Law Bytes column (freely available hyperlinked version, Toronto Star version, homepage version) examines Bill C-60, Canada's new copyright reform bill. I argue that the bill represents a missed opportunity.
While some of provisions strike an admirable balance, those that are ostensibly designed to facilitate technology-based education and the digital delivery of library materials fall far short of their goal by hobbling any new rights with suffocating restrictions that render the provisions practically useless.
Recent Posts
Debating the Online Harms Act: Insights from Two Recent Panels on Bill C-63 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 199: Boris Bytensky on the Criminal Code Reforms in the Online Harms Act 
AI Spending is Not an AI Strategy: Why the Government’s Artificial Intelligence Plan Avoids the Hard Governance Questions 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 198: Richard Moon on the Return of the Section 13 Hate Speech Provision in the Online Harms Act 
Tweets Are Not Enough: Why Combatting Relentless Antisemitism in Canada Requires Real Leadership and Action
