The recent introduction of the Electronic Commerce Protection Act, Canada's long-awaited anti-spam bill, has been greeted with initial all-party support in the House of Commons. The bill just passed second reading with committee hearings the next step in the legislative process. My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, Ottawa Citizen version, homepage version) argues that looking ahead, the big fight seems destined to focus on the government's desire to establish a comprehensive regime with tough penalties that apply to most commercial communications to consumers. Consumer groups will likely welcome the reforms, while some business and marketing organizations may paint a gloomy picture of the costs associated with the new regulations.
Archive for May 19th, 2009
Anti-Spam Bill Faces Fight Over Consumer Protections
Appeared in the Toronto Star on May 19, 2009 as Anti-spam Bill Targeting Phishers, Spyware Appeared in the Ottawa Citizen on May 19, 2009 as Long-Awaited Anti-Spam Bill Likely Faces a Few More Hurdles The recent introduction of the Electronic Consumer Protection Act, Canada's long-awaited anti-spam bill, has been greeted […]
Search Engine Adopts Creative Commons Licence
Search Engine has made the move to TVO. The first episode includes an announcement that the program will now be available under a Creative Commons licence.
Berman Bill Seeks To Expand U.S. IP Enforcement Efforts
IP Watch reports that U.S. Congressman Howard Berman has inserted language into a bill that would mandate the creation of ten new attaches that would enhance U.S. efforts to pressure foreign countries on IP enforcement. Based on the language in the bill, Canada would be a likely target.
Soundproof Books
Jamie Love of KEI has an important post on how Random House has turned off text-to-speech in all its Kindle editions in the United States.
Recent Posts
Government Finally Splits the Online Harms Bill: Never Too Late To Do The Right Thing…Or Is It? 
Canadian Media Companies Target OpenAI in Copyright Lawsuit But Weak Claims Suggest Settlement the Real Goal 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 221: Inside My Canadian Heritage Committee Appearance on Freedom of Expression 
When Antisemitism Isn’t Taboo: Reflecting on the Response to Nazi-Era Hate on the Streets of Montreal 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 220: Marina Pavlović on the CRTC’s Plans to Address Consumer Frustration Over Wireless Contracts
