I am honoured and delighted to report that I have been named one of the winners of the annual Arthur Kroeger College Awards for Public Affairs. I received the award for Policy Leadership. Other winners include Globe and Mail columnist Jeffrey Simpson, Purdy Crawford, Hire Immigrants Ottawa, and Al Johnson.
Archive for March 19th, 2010
New ACTA Leaks: Criminal Enforcement, Institutional Issues, and International Cooperation
New ACTA leaks have emerged this week that fill in the blanks about the remainder of the still-secret treaty. While earlier leaks provided extensive detail on the Internet and civil enforcement chapters, these latest leaks shed new light into the criminal enforcement section, the chapter on ACTA institutional issues, and international cooperation.
Criminal Enforcement
As described by KEI, the European Union has proposed language to require criminal penalties for "inciting, aiding and abetting" certain offenses, including "at least in cases of willful trademark counterfeiting and copyright or related rights piracy on a commercial scale." Willful copyright infringement includes instances that "have no direct or indirect motivation of financial gain."
Institutional Arrangements
KEI reports that the Institutional Arrangement chapter – Chapter 5 of the ACTA text – is the second longest in the treaty. It includes the creation of an ACTA Oversight Committee that may have the power to amend the treaty itself. The leaked text reveals the following proposal:
Clement: Copyright Bill Before the Summer
The Wire Report reports that Industry Minister Tony Clement has confirmed that the government plans to introduce a new copyright bill before the summer recess. Clement also commented on ACTA, stating that it is his position that "whatever comes out of ACTA has to be compliant with our laws."
Globe on Angus Fair Dealing Motion: A Welcome Move
The Globe and Mail's masthead editorial today comments on the Angus fair dealing motion: "Mr. Angus also tabled a motion that would expand the Copyright Act's definition of "fair dealing," allowing the reasonable use of copyrighted materials for innovation, research and study – a welcome move."
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