Thanks to a reader for pointing out the the Canadian Intellectual Property Office is currently reviewing several chapters from its Manual of Patent Office Practice . Chapters subject to review include those covering software patents and biotechnology, matters of interest to the open source and scientific communities. CIPO provides details […]
Articles by: Michael Geist
The Telus Porn Problem
The Globe and Mail provides an inside perspective on the company came to drop the adult content offering, but more interesting is this post from Mark Wells that offers an alternate perspective – wireless net neutrality.
Puretracks Launches DRM-Free Music
Puretracks, a major Canadian online music seller, has just launched DRM-free music for some of its music titles. While the major label music remains locked behind Windows-based DRM, Puretracks is offering 50,000 titles in clean MP3 format. Participating labels include some of Canada's leading indie labels such as Nettwerk and […]
Canadian Copyright Law in Verse
Government policy makers have long talked about simplifying the Copyright Act. I don't think this is what they have in mind, but it is very clever.
U.S. Copyright Lobby Out of Touch With the Rest of the World
Given that it has been picked up by Slashdot, BoingBoing, and Wired, I'm a bit behind in pointing to a column (BBC version, homepage version) I wrote for the BBC on the recent IIPA intellectual property protection submission to the USTR. The column picks up on many of the points I made in a posting about the submission last week. In the column I argue that what is most noteworthy about the IIPA effort is that dozens of countries – indeed most of the major global economies in the developed and developing world – are subjected to criticism. The IIPA recommendations are designed to highlight the inadequacies of IP protection around the world, yet the lobby group ultimately shines the spotlight on how U.S. copyright policy has become out-of-touch and isolated from much of the rest of the globe.
The IIPA criticisms fall into three broad categories.
Recent Posts
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 232: What Will Canadian Digital Policy Look Like Under the New Liberal Carney Government? 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 231: Sara Bannerman on How Canadian Political Parties Maximize Voter Data Collection and Minimize Privacy Safeguards 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 230: Aengus Bridgman on the 2025 Federal Election, Social Media Platforms, and Misinformation 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 229: My Digital Access Day Keynote – Assessing the Canadian Digital Policy Record 
Queen’s University Trustees Reject Divestment Efforts Emphasizing the Importance of Institutional Neutrality
