Archive for January, 2010

World’s Fair Use Day: Much Work Left in Canada

Today Public Knowledge is sponsoring World's Fair Use Day, described as a day to celebrate the doctrine of fair use and the benefits it brings to creators, innovators, and consumers.  As many readers will know, Canada does not have a fair use provision but rather one called fair dealing.  Given the focus on fair use, it is worth considering both the breadth of fair dealing in Canada as well as its limits.  For those supportive of fair dealing, the good news is that the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that it is a user right.  In CCH Canadian v. Law Society of Upper Canada, a unanimous court ruled:

Before reviewing the scope of the fair dealing exception under the Copyright Act, it is important to clarify some general considerations about exceptions to copyright infringement.  Procedurally, a defendant is required to prove that his or her dealing with a work has been fair; however, the fair dealing exception is perhaps more properly understood as an integral part of the Copyright Act than simply a defence. Any act falling within the fair dealing exception will not be an infringement of copyright.  The fair dealing exception, like other exceptions in the Copyright Act, is a user’s right.  In order to maintain the proper balance between the rights of a copyright owner and users’ interests, it must not be interpreted restrictively. 

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January 12, 2010 9 comments News

IIPA Lawyer: ACTA Would Help Bring Canada Into 21st Century

Google hosted a debate on ACTA yesterday that included perspectives from all sides of the issue.  Rebecca Tushnet has posted a live blog of the event and Mike Masnick tweeted that Steve Metalitz, a lawyer with the IIPA, stated that ACTA would help bring Canada into the 21st century.  The […]

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January 12, 2010 6 comments News

Yes Men Takedown Trades One Hoax For Another

Last month, the Canadian delegation at the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen found itself targeted by the Yes Men in a widely publicized hoax.  The well-known activists satirized the Canadian government’s position on the environment by launching a pair of phoney websites that looked official but promoted different policies. The hoax attracted considerable media attention, prompting Prime Minister's Office spokesman Dimitri Soudas to label it a childish prank.  Soon after, Canadian officials quietly set out to shut down the two websites.  

My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes that what followed creates a cause for concern, because Environment Canada appears to have misrepresented the harms posed by the sites in an effort to force them offline without a court order.

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January 11, 2010 16 comments Columns

Canada – EU Trade Agreement Negotiations Resume Next Week

Troy Media reports on the ongoing Canada – EU Trade Agreement negotiations.  Leaked documents indicate that there are signficant intellectual property demands from the Europeans.  Negotiations resume in Brussels on January 18th.

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January 11, 2010 Comments are Disabled News

Union des Consommateurs Files ACTA Protest

Union des Consommateurs has posted a public letter expressing concern over the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.

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January 11, 2010 Comments are Disabled News