The government has now completed posting all the submissions it received during the copyright consultation (I'll be posting a final summary shortly). Interestingly, the final submission to be posted was from SOCAN, but it came with some controversy. Sources say that SOCAN requested that its submission not be posted online. The terms of the consultation clearly indicated that all submissions would be posted, so it is difficult to identify the grounds for non-disclosure. Ultimately, the government posted access to the submission, though not the submission itself. This means that anyone can obtain a PDF copy of the submission via email, but it will not be searchable like every other submission. Note that this also raises privacy concerns as interested Canadians are required to provide personal information in order to obtain a copy of the SOCAN document, creating a list of everyone who has requested a copy.
News
USTR Ambassador Kirk On ACTA: People Would Walk if ACTA Public
KEI's Jamie Love recently had the opportunity to ask USTR Ambassador Ron Kirk about the lack of transparency associated with ACTA. Kirk responded implausibly that people might walk away from the negotiations if the text was made public.
New Zealand Politicians Speak Out on ACTA
New Zealand MP Clare Curran has posted on ACTA, arguing that "in the interests of transparency and public interest, the New Zealand Government should reveal the text of recent secret discussions in South Korea on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement." Meanwhile, UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne has called on the Government to […]
Private Member’s Bill on Copyright Coming?
The Toronto Sun reports that anti-counterfeiting lawyer Lorne Lipkus believes that a Private Member's bill focusing on expanded copyright will be introduced shortly. There is no word on which MP is working with copyright lobbyists, but the bill will apparently including tougher sentences and increased seizure powers at the border.
CARFAC Seeking Royalty For Images on National Gallery Website
The National Post reports that CARFAC, which represents Canadian visual artists, has filed a complaint against the National Gallery of Canada. CARFAC is seeking a new royalty for the use of members' works on the National Gallery website.
