The government has just announced that there is a 48 hour extension on submissions to the copyright consultation. While the discussion forum has closed, Canadians now have until Tuesday night to submit their views on copyright. If you missed last night's deadline, there is still time to craft your own […]
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Canadian Copyright Law: Charting the Change
On this last day of the copyright consulation, I have been amazed by the number of people who have written recently with news of their submission posted on a blog or other site (examples here, here, here, here, here, here, and here). The government reports that they have received over […]
Has Someone Hit the Delete Key on Canada’s Digitization Strategy?
Digitization of books has become synonymous over the past year with the Google Book Search project and the class action lawsuit launched in response to the search giant's efforts to create an Internet-based library consisting of millions of books. While the digitizing continues, the legal drama reached an important stage this week when a court in New York closed third-party submissions supporting or criticizing the settlement. The attention on Google Book Search is understandable, yet it has distracted from the broader question of government supported digitization efforts. My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) noted that many countries have not been content to leave the digitization of their culture and heritage to Google, instead embarking on plans to create their own digital libraries.
New Copyright Consultation Submissions of Note
With two days left, many organizations are posting their final submissions to the copyright consultation online. Recent postings include: Canadian Association of Media Education Organizations Canadian Coalition for Electronic Rights Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences Canadian Federation of Students ACTRA Writers' Guild of Canada
Canadian IP Protection Ranked Ahead U.S., Japan, and U.K.
Howard Knopf points to the latest World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report which ranks Canada ahead of the U.S., Japan, and the U.K. for intellectual property protection.