Articles by: Michael Geist

Sony Settlement a Blueprint for Legislative Action

Following on my earlier posting, my Law Bytes column (Toronto Star version, freely available version) advances my thoughts on how the Sony rootkit settlement could create the starting point for a model statute that protects against the misuse of TPMs. The column repeats my overview of the settlement including the […]

January 2, 2006 — 3 comments — Columns

Does This Sound Like a Troubled Industry?

The Canadian Press reports on the thriving Canadian indie music scene. Echoing a recent NY Times article, the report notes that indie labels do a better job of using the Internet and that they take risks that the major labels shy away from. Jeffrey Remedios, the co-founder of Arts & […]

January 1, 2006 — Comments are Disabled — News

Sony Settlement a Blueprint for Legislative Action

Appeared in the Toronto Star on January 2, 2006 as Rootkit Fiasco Shows Stronger Laws Needed The Sony Rootkit controversy, in which the world’ s second largest record label rendered hundreds of thousands of personal computers vulnerable to hacker attack by inserting faulty copy-protection software into dozens of CDs, stands […]

January 1, 2006 — Comments are Disabled — Columns Archive

New Hope for a New Year

Let me start by wishing everyone a safe, happy, and healthy new year. The new year starts with fresh hope for the kind of ambitious access programs that are desperately needed. The BBC again sets the standard with the release of nearly 80 news clips from leading stories over the […]

January 1, 2006 — Comments are Disabled — News

The Start of a DRM Protection Act

Reports today indicate that a provisional settlement has been reached in the U.S. Sony rootkit class actions. While the settlement still requires court approval, it makes for an interesting read since it may provide the starting point for a future statute that protects against the misuse of digital rights management […]

December 29, 2005 — 12 comments — News