Zak Muscovitch, a Toronto domain name lawyer running for the CIRA board, has an interesting article on the dot-ca administrator and the public interest.
News
ACTA Text Leaks: U.S. Concedes on Secondary Liability, Wants To Go Beyond DMCA on Digital Locks
Perhaps the most important story of the latest draft is how the countries are close to agreement on the Internet enforcement chapter. The Internet enforcement chapter has been among the most contentious since the U.S. first proposed draft language that would have globalized the DMCA and raised the prospect of three strikes and you’re out. In the face of opposition, the U.S. has dropped its demands on secondary liability but is still holding out hope of establishing digital lock rules that go beyond the WIPO Internet treaties and were even rejected by its own courts.
The key takeaways from the Internet chapter, noting that Canada has reserved the right to revisit elements of this chapter at a later date:
Commercialization of IP In Canadian Universities: Barely Better Than Break Even
Which approach is better? The full commercialization approach has been tried in the U.S. with legislation known as Bayh-Dole and studies (here and here) have found that patents to universities have increased, but the increase has been accompanied by harm to the public domain of science and relatively small gains in income.
The Canadian Science and Technology Strategy similarly places its faith in commercialization through IP portfolios and licencing, yet the Statscan data suggests that this has also been ineffective.
EU-Backed Study Finds Counterfeits Pro-Consumer, Rejects Company Complaints
A new report funded by the European Union has concluded that counterfeits have pro-consumer effects while rejecting claims of losses by established companies. The report concludes that most counterfeit purchases are not substitute for the genuine article and actually help promote the brand. The report finds that the real cost […]
CRTC Mandates Wholesale Access for ISPs
The CRTC yesterday affirmed an earlier decision requiring incumbents to grant wholesale access to faster speeds to independent ISPs. The government could still overrule the decision within the next 90 days.
Recent Posts
Lawful Access on Steroids: Why Bill C-2’s Big Brother Tactics Combine Expansive Warrantless Disclosure with Unprecedented Secrecy 
Government Reverses on Privacy and the Charter: Department of Justice Analysis Concludes Political Party Privacy Bill Raises No Charter of Rights Effects 
“Big Brother Tactics”: Why Bill C-2’s New Warrantless Disclosure Demand Powers Extend Far Beyond Internet and Telecom Providers 
Government Seeks To Exempt Political Parties From Privacy Laws Even As CRTC Reports They Are Leading Source of Spam Complaints 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 236: Robert Diab on the Return of Lawful Access
