Articles by: Michael Geist

Industry Minister Should Put Spam Law Back on the Agenda

Appeared in the Toronto Star on September 25, 2006 as As Spam Flow Grows, Harper Government Sleeps [http://geistcanadaspamagenda.notlong.com] Earlier this month Industry Minister Maxime Bernier traveled to Saskatoon to deliver the keynote address at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Meeting. Bernier's speech focused on the value of entrepreneurialism and […]

September 25, 2006 — 1 comment — Columns Archive

Sony Hit With Privacy and Consumer Protection Complaints

As Sony seeks court approval of its class action settlement today (word is that the judge took note of the objections to the settlement and asked the parties to go back and try to address the concerns, likely leading to some modest amendments), CIPPIC has filed an avalanche of complaints […]

September 21, 2006 — 1 comment — News

One Web Day

One Web Day, the brainchild of Susan Crawford, an exceptional law professor, is planned for this Friday. The event is an opportunity to celebrate the impact of the Internet on our lives and our communities. Here in Canada, CIRA has been an active proponent of One Web Day with a […]

September 21, 2006 — Comments are Disabled — News

CRIA and Private Copying

CRIA is currently leading a coalition that includes Apple, Bell, Rogers, and Napster in opposing an application for a new tariff for online downloads (I briefly posted on Graham Henderson's appearance before the Copyright Board last week and his startling claim that he had not read Nielson SoundScan data months after he referenced that data in a speech). The lead statement in the case includes a discussion of private copying, after CSI (the group seeking the tariff) sought compensation for the copies that consumers make from digital downloads. CSI argues that the recording industry authorizes consumers to make those copies.

CRIA's response? They say they do no such thing – "the Online Music Services do not 'authorize' any further reproduction of downloads by the consumer." Rather, CRIA notes that:

September 20, 2006 — 3 comments — News

CIPPIC Files Formal Objection to the Sony Settlement

The Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic has filed a formal objection to Sony's Canadian rootkit class action settlement. The objection received the support of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which challenged Sony's description of the events leading up to the U.S. settlement. EFF has posted the relevant documents including: […]

September 18, 2006 — Comments are Disabled — News