The Wire Report covers Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore's "radical extremist" comment reporting that industry insiders advised that they "believe Moore was speaking out of frustration with the effectiveness of the copyright user lobby and that the comments were intended to discredit Geist and his supporters."
Archive for June, 2010
Doctorow on the Making of C-32
Cory Doctorow bring the Canadian copyright experience to a UK audience with a Guardian opinion piece on C-32.
Report on Meeting With ACTA Negotiators in Lucerne
Several civil society organizations met with 21 ACTA negotiators earlier this week. They provide a full report on the meeting which includes an indication that patents may be removed from the border measures chapter, that the Internet chapter is here to stay, and they may need to change their domestic […]
Developing Country Opposition to ACTA Mounts
Just as the G8-G20 meetings conclude in Muskoka and Toronto, another round of negotiations on the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement resumes in Switzerland today. In the aftermath of the last round of discussions in New Zealand, a draft version of the ACTA text was publicly released, temporarily quieting criticism about the lack of transparency associated with an agreement that currently touches on all forms of intellectual property, including patents, trademark, and copyright.
While the transparency concerns are no longer in the spotlight, my weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes that mounting opposition to the agreement from the developing world, particularly powerhouse economies such as India, China, and Brazil, is attracting considerable attention. The public opposition from those countries – India has threatened to establish a coalition of countries against the treaty – dramatically raise the political stakes and place Canada between a proverbial rock and hard place, given its close ties to the U.S. and ambition to increase economic ties with India and China.
ACTA Workshop: China, Pakistan, Brazil Express Significant Concerns
I attended a workshop on ACTA in Geneva yesterday that included government attendees from China, India, Pakistan, and other leading developing countries. Some key takeaways: China expressed serious concerns with ACTA as upsetting the IP balance and harming the interests of the developing world. It argued that this may provide […]