Earlier this week, I posted a letter from NDP leader Jack Layton that is sharply critical of Bill C-61. The language used in the letter is apparently being used by other NDP MPs. The same appears to be true for Liberal MPs. Several people have sent me copies with only […]
Archive for June, 2008
Letters to the Editor
Several noteworthy letters to the editor on Saturday – a terrific one from Steven Comeau, the President of Collideascope Digital and a Gemeni Award-winning producer in the Vancouver Sun, as well as a rebuttal to Corcoran's National Post piece by David Skoll, the President of Roaring Penguin Software in Ottawa. […]
Bow’s Open Letter to Prentice
A great open letter to Industry Minister Jim Prentice from author James Bow.
A Week in the Life of the Canadian DMCA: Part Five
The week in the life of the Canadian DMCA concludes (day one, day two, day three, day four) with Stephen.
Stephen is a big music fan. Tonight, he is going with his girlfriend to see his favourite band in concert. He has purchased every CD issued by the band. To get ready for concert, he downloads a live version of one of his favourite songs that was released commercially in Europe (it is not available in Canada) that he finds on a file-sharing network. The song is downloaded to an external hard drive that he uses to store his music. While on the network, one hundred songs on the hard drive were available in his shared folder for others to download, though none were. At his girlfriend’s request, he also copies three of the band's best songs onto a CD to play during the drive to the concert. He gives the CD to his girlfriend as a gift.
If Industry Minister Jim Prentice’s Bill C-61 becomes law, all of these copying activity – with one exception – would arguably violate the law.
A Week in the Life of the Canadian DMCA: Part Five
The week in the life of the Canadian DMCA concludes (day one, day two, day three, day four) with Stephen.
Stephen is a big music fan. Tonight, he is going with his girlfriend to see his favourite band in concert. He has purchased every CD issued by the band. To get ready for concert, he downloads a live version of one of his favourite songs that was released commercially in Europe (it is not available in Canada) that he finds on a file-sharing network. The song is downloaded to an external hard drive that he uses to store his music. While on the network, one hundred songs on the hard drive were available in his shared folder for others to download, though none were. At his girlfriend’s request, he also copies three of the band's best songs onto a CD to play during the drive to the concert. He gives the CD to his girlfriend as a gift.
If Industry Minister Jim Prentice’s Bill C-61 becomes law, all of these copying activity – with one exception – would arguably violate the law.


Michael Geist on Substack
Recent Posts
Slick Videos Won’t Save Lawful Access: Why The Government’s Bill C-22 Defence Avoids the Charter, Privacy and Security Concerns Raised By Critics
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 268: Sara Grimes on the Moral Panic Behind Banning Kids from Social Media and AI Chatbots
U.S. Congressional Leaders Warn Canadian Lawful Access Plans Harm U.S. National Security and Economic Interests
Make It Make Sense: My Appearance Before the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security on Bill C-22’s Lawful Access Plan
Why Social Media and AI Chatbot Bans for Kids Are Bad Policy: Making the Case at the Senate Social Affairs, Science and Tech Committee
