Facing an onslaught of bad press, Sony today announced that it is suspending its use of the DRM technology that was quickly used by virus writers to infect personal computers. The Sony announcement is being described as an "apology" but the company isn't particularly apologetic. In fact, it prefaces its […]
Articles by: Michael Geist
Lawful Access Bill Coming November 15th
The Canadian government today revealed that it will unveil the lawful access bill on Tuesday, November 15th. The bill, titled the Modernization of Investigative Techniques Act, will "compel all Canadian telephone and Internet companies to create and maintain infrastructures that are intercept capable and to provide access to basic subscriber […]
The Canadian Connection to the Sony Rootkit
The fallout from Sony's digital rights management usage continues. A class action lawsuit has been launched in California, police authorities have been asked to investigate in Italy, and the issue is attracting enormous attention. EFF has revealed that there is a Canadian connection as well. At least two CDs using […]
Broadcasters To Seek Judicial Review of Copyright Board Decision
While the Canadian Association of Broadcasters has expressed a desire to safeguard Canadian culture, paying for that culture is another matter. The Globe and Mail is reporting that the CAB's members will seek judicial review of the recent Copyright Board commercial radio decision which led to a significant increase in […]
The Canadian Move Toward Open Access
My weekly Law Bytes column (Toronto Star version, freely available version) focuses on the recent message from national science advisor Dr. Arthur Carty who argued that scientific success increasingly depends upon fostering a "culture of sharing" based on open access models of communication that leverage the Internet to disseminate research […]