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EU To Conduct Full Review of Copyright Directive

News from Europe this morning that the EU is planning a full review of its copyright directive.  The review was to have focused on implementation in member states but now will be a broader evaluation of the directive itself.  In further good news, Professor Bernt Hugenholtz will lead the review.  […]

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March 21, 2006 Comments are Disabled News

The Rise of the Clip Culture

My weekly Law Bytes column (homepage version, Toronto Star version, international BBC version) examines the rise of the "clip culture" which has driven the remarkable growth of video sharing sites such as Youtube.com. The column highlights the different types of clips and discusses the legal and business implications that video sharing is beginning to generate. 

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March 20, 2006 Comments are Disabled Columns

CRIA’s Own Study Counters P2P Claims

While CRIA regularly trumpets commissioned studies as evidence for the problems posed by P2P, this week it released a major study without any fanfare whatsoever.  Conducted by Pollara last month, the study serves as part of CRIA's submission to the CRTC's Commercial Radio Review.  What makes this particular study interesting […]

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March 17, 2006 44 comments News

CIRA’s Public Letter to ICANN

Late this afternoon, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, which manages the dot-ca domain, issued an important public letter to ICANN.  As a CIRA board member for the past five years, I'm particularly proud of this letter as the organization has publicly called on ICANN to follow accountable, transparent, and fair […]

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March 17, 2006 1 comment News

Federal Ct Issues Nearly Million Dollar Fine For Failing to Pay Levy

A federal court judge has fined Vortek Systems, a Montreal-based electronics retailer, nearly one million dollars for failing to pay the private copying levy.  The company was ordered to turn over the unpaid levy amounts ($1.65 million plus interest) along with a penalty of just over $900,000.  Vortek denied that […]

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March 17, 2006 1 comment News