The Google Book Search initiative has generated legal opposition from two influential writer and publisher groups, yet the issue has largely been confined to the U.S., since the U.S. fair use approach stands in marked contrast to the fair dealing user right found in Canada. While Google is unlikely to […]
Articles by: Michael Geist
IDRC Launches Open Archive Initiative
Canada’s International Development Research Centre is a government-backed development agency focused on research in the developing world. IDRC doesn’t generate much attention in Canada (most of its work is done outside of the country in the places that need help), but it should. In 2004, it provided financial support to […]
The Ottawa Citizen on CRIA’s Poll
While many may have missed it, the Ottawa Citizen ran a masthead editorial on January 2nd assessing CRIA's poll on copyright and the election. I argued that the poll was primarily noteworthy for the questions that it didn't ask. Apparently, the Citizen agreed. It starts the editorial by warning "beware […]
Cause or Effect
With the Bulte story now a week old (I actually blogged about it nearly three weeks ago but it started to pick up steam on new years day), one might think that there is little else to say. I think there is more because this incident is as much about […]
Crystal Ball Gazing At The Coming Year in Tech Law
Predicting the future of Canadian technology law is challenging at the best of times, but during an election campaign prognostications are admittedly likely to be about as accurate as a coin flip. With that caveat in mind, my weekly Law Bytes column (Toronto Star version, freely available version) offers up […]
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
