Archive for May 3rd, 2010

ACTA: Why You Should Still Care

This post appears as a guest column on GigaOm today:

After years of secrecy, the eighth round of talks aimed at drafting an international treaty called the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) recently concluded in New Zealand – and in the face of public pressure, a version of the text was subsequently made available to the public. The ACTA is neither a trade agreement nor one focused primarily on counterfeiting, but a copyright deal featuring provisions on Internet service provider and Internet company liability, DMCA-style notice and takedown requirements, legal protection for digital locks, and requirements for statutory damages that could result in millions in liability for non-commercial infringement – even heightened searches at border crossings.

Ever since the ACTA partners – among them the U.S., E.U., Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Morocco and Singapore – announced negotiations plans in October 2007, ACTA has been dogged by controversy over a near-total lack of transparency. Early talks were held in secret locations with each participating country offering virtually identical, cryptic press releases that did little more than fuel public concern. Now that the ACTA text is public, some might wonder whether there’s still cause for concern. Indeed, given widespread support for measures that target genuine commercial counterfeiting, some might believe it’s time to actively support ACTA.

It’s not – at least not this version.

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May 3, 2010 11 comments Columns

Canadian Booksellers Association Seeks Changes To Parallel Import Laws

The Canadian Booksellers Association is seeking changes to the parallel import laws for books, currently governed by the Copyright Act.  The booksellers argue the limits are "no longer commercially reasonable and should be repealed."

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May 3, 2010 Comments are Disabled News

Australian Government Commits to Gov 2.0

The Australian government has issued its response to the Gov 2.0 Taskforce Report, accepting virtually all of its recommendations.

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May 3, 2010 1 comment News

Alberta Breach Notification Rules Take Effect

Changes to Alberta's privacy law took effect over the weekend with the provincial private sector privacy law now featuring a mandatory security breach reporting requirement.

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May 3, 2010 Comments are Disabled News

CRTC of Old Re-Emerges in Music Station Case

Appeared in the Toronto Star on May 3, 2010 as CRTC of Old Re-emerges in Music Station Case Taking pot shots at Canada’s national broadcast regulator has practically been a national sport for many years, as observers from across the political spectrum paint the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission as […]

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May 3, 2010 Comments are Disabled Columns Archive