WIPO has published a scoping study on the public domain by Belgian law professor Séverine Dusollier. The study includes discussion of the impact of anti-circumvention rules on access to public domain works.
News
“Copyright Bill Could Digital Lock Us All”
Athabasca University VP Research Rory McGreal has an op-ed in the Calgary Herald that calls for an amendment to C-32 that would allow by-passing digital locks for any legal purpose.
“Copyright Reform Needs ‘Made in Canada’ Approach”
The Vancouver Sun features an op-ed on Bill C-32 which argues the bill "contains serious flaws and undue restrictions on consumer freedom."
Setting the Record Straight: 32 Questions and Answers on C-32’s Digital Lock Provisions, Part Four
The first three posts on the 32 Questions and Answers on Bill C-32's digital lock provisions focused first on general issues in the bill, second on C-32's circumvention exceptions, and third on the missing exceptions. Today's post discusses the consumer-focused provisions in the bill. For those that want it all in a single package, I've posted the full series as PDF download.
The Consumer Provisions
This section features answers to the following questions:
- Bill C-32 purports to allow consumer to legally shift music from CDs to their iPods or other devices. Do they lose that right if there are digital locks on their CD?
- Does Bill C-32 allow consumers to make legal backup copies of most commercial DVDs?
- Does Bill C-32 allow consumers to shift content from a DVD to a portable video player such as an iPad?
- C-32 purports to allow consumer to legally record television shows, yet cable companies are increasingly inserting anti-copying technologies into some broadcasts? Does C-32 allow for those programs to be recorded?
- C-32 includes an exception for unlocking cellphones. Isn't that a positive new development?
- Does C-32 require businesses to notify consumers about the presence of digital locks?
- Isn't there an "analog hole" that would allow someone to record a DVD without circumventing the digital lock?
The Government’s Standard Form Response to C-32 Letters
Government MPs have begun responding to constituent letters on Bill C-32. The current letter is very detailed with a lengthy discussion on the merits of the bill. A sample is posted below:
Thank you for your recent correspondence regarding Bill C-32, our government’s proposal to update the Copyright Act.
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