Appeared in the Toronto Star on July 5, 2010 as ‘Geo-blocking’ Websites is a Business Rather than Legal Issue The Internet was once viewed as a "borderless" world that had little regard for the physical location of users. That sentiment likely seems outdated today to many Canadian Internet users who […]
Archive for July 5th, 2010
ACTA Consensus on Transparency Breaks Down
The 9th round of ACTA talks concluded last week in Lucerne, Switzerland. I briefly noted the official statement last week, but a subsequent news report makes it clear that the most important development to come out of the meeting is the breakdown of a consensus on transparency. Following the New Zealand meeting in April, there was consensus achieved on the need to release a draft version of the text. It is now clear that the overwhelming majority of countries favoured continuing this approach by releasing updated versions at the conclusion of subsequent meetings. That did not happen after the Lucerne meeting, however, with both the Swiss and European Commission delegations indicating that they favoured releasing the text but that one delegation did not. It is a safe bet that the U.S. is once again the key holdout on the transparency issue.
CRTC Extends Net Neutrality Rules to Wireless Data Services
It did not attract much attention, but last week the CRTC ruled that it is extending its Internet Traffic Management Practices framework to wireless data services. The ITMP framework address some net neutrality concerns. The CRTC had previously indicated that it expected wireless companies to comply with the framework, but […]
INTA, ICC Oppose De Minimis Provision in ACTA
The International Trademark Association (INTA) and International Chamber of Commerce have issued a release on ACTA urging countries to drop the de minimis provision that is designed to allay fears of iPod searching border guards. The two associations argue that the exception "sends the wrong message to consumers."
EU Article 29 Working Party Puts ACTA on the Agenda
The EU Article 29 Working Party, which addresses privacy issues in Europe, has placed ACTA on its agenda for its next meeting on July 12-13, 2010.