The National Post devotes its entire masthead editorial today to the copyright debate. The piece is critical of the U.S. DMCA, describing it as a "disaster" and warning against the "incredible absurdities" created by anti-circumvention legislation. It adds: For Canada to introduce DMCA-style legislation now would do nothing but encourage […]
Articles by: Michael Geist
Montreal Gazette on Gilberto Gil
The Montreal Gazette reports on a visit to Canada by Brazilian Culture Minister and musician Gilberto Gil. When told of Canadians' demand for public consultations on the copyright issue, Gil responded "That's it, that's what this is all about. A multiple discussion of what can and can't done. It can't […]
Australian Governments Embrace Creative Commons Licensing
The Guardian reports on how Australian federal and state governments are moving toward using creative commons licenses for public sector information.
Independent Report Blasts Access Copyright Over Lack of Transparency
One year after it was completed by University of Toronto law professor Martin L. Friedland, the results on an independent study on Access Copyright and royalty distribution system has been released [the report was emailed to me; I have not seen an online version]. The report is a stunning indictment of the copyright collective, calling for dramatic change in governance, transparency, and royalty distribution practices. Friedland begins by noting:
I have undertaken a number of other public policy studies over the years, including such reasonably complex topics as pension reform, securities regulation, and national security, and have never encountered anything quite as complex as the Access Copyright distribution system. It is far from transparent. Very little is written down in a consolidated, cohesive, comprehensive, or comprehensible manner. There is no manual describing in detail how the distribution system operates.
The report continues by examining the history of Access Copyright, comparing it to other collectives, and identifying inequities in the distribution structure. For example, it reveals that "in the distribution for 2005 under the federal government licence, the publishers received $188,256 for scholarly journals and the creators received nothing."
The report includes 20 recommendations for change, which include:
Recent Posts
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 237: A Conversation with Jason Woywada of BCFIPA on Political Party Privacy and Bill C-4 
Lawful Access on Steroids: Why Bill C-2’s Big Brother Tactics Combine Expansive Warrantless Disclosure with Unprecedented Secrecy 
Government Reverses on Privacy and the Charter: Department of Justice Analysis Concludes Political Party Privacy Bill Raises No Charter of Rights Effects 
“Big Brother Tactics”: Why Bill C-2’s New Warrantless Disclosure Demand Powers Extend Far Beyond Internet and Telecom Providers 
Government Seeks To Exempt Political Parties From Privacy Laws Even As CRTC Reports They Are Leading Source of Spam Complaints
