Lost amidst the huge backlash against the Canadian DMCA was a very brief comment from Industry Minister Jim Prentice during his press conference on Thursday. Although I did not see it discussed in the media, Prentice committed the government to a public consultation on the future of the private copying […]
News
A Week in the Life of the Canadian DMCA: Part One
Many people have written to ask for concrete examples of how the Canadian DMCA would impact everyday activities. In response, today I'm going to start a five part series of a typical Canadian family's potential encounter with the law. The fictional family consist of:
Jim and Josee live in a Calgary suburb together with their three children Stephen (age 16), Rona (age 10), and Diane (age 4). Jim is the chief librarian at the National Energy Library, while Josee teaches media and communications at a local high school.
This post focuses on Jim. Soon after he arrives into the office on Monday morning, he is contacted by a researcher located in the field who asks him to track down an article and to email an electronic copy as soon as possible. Jim finds the article, scans and sends it via email. After work, he drops into the local HMV and purchases a DVD copy of the movie Juno. At home, he transfers a copy of the movie to his video iPod for viewing on an upcoming business trip.
If the Canadian DMCA becomes law, all of Jim's copying activities arguably violate the law.
deBeer on Copyright Spin
My colleague Jeremy deBeer considers whether Bill C-61 is win-win or spin-spin in the National Post.
“Copyright Law Heavy-Handed”
As the negative letters pile up at the Toronto Star (here, here, here) and the Western Standard's blog criticizes the bill, the Prince George Citizen takes aim at the Canadian DMCA.
Creative Protests Against the Canadian DMCA
What started with Gordon Duggan's exceptional 51st State comic released just before the introduction of Bill C-61 has expanded to other media. Graphic artist Gaetan Diotte has created a series of graphics that can be used for posters or t-shirts. Meanwhile, film maker Brett Gaylor's Copyright Criminals project is picking […]
Recent Posts
Canadian Government Introduces New Stablecoin Act as Part of Budget Implementation Legislation 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 250: Wikimedia’s Jan Gerlach on the Risks and Challenges with Digital Policy Reform 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 249: The Debate Over Canada’s AI Strategy – My Consultation Submission and Appearance at the Canadian Heritage Committee 
How the Liberal and Conservative Parties Have Quietly Colluded to Undermine the Privacy Rights of Canadians 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 248: Mark Surman on Why Canada’s AI Strategy Should Prioritize Public AI Models
