As the amount of online activity related to fair copyright in Canada grows, it is becoming increasingly difficulty to track everything. With that in mind, I've created a new Friendfeed channel for Fair Copyright for Canada. The channel currently includes aggregated blog postings, videos from YouTube, photos from Flickr, the […]
Stop CDMCA
The C-61 in 61 Seconds YouTube Video Competition
Tens of thousands of Canadians have spoken out against Bill C-61 over the past month. In addition to the letters, MP meetings, and town halls, many have created mashups, videos, comics, posters, photos, and other creative art to express their disappointment and concern with Industry Minister Jim Prentice's plan for […]
61 Reforms to C-61, Day 4: Format Shifting’s 12 Step Approval Process
My final post on the format shifting exception focuses on the sheer complexity of the provision. The idea behind format shifting makes a great deal of sense – consumers buy books, photos, videos, and other content and want the right to view or enjoy the content on the device or medium of choice. Those rights can be priced into the purchase price and copyright law should facilitate that form of personal use.
Yet even beyond the digital lock limitation, the provision contains so many conditions that it will leave many Canadians unsure as to whether they have complied with the law. Just how complicated? The PDF chart below shows the 12 step process that Canadians must meet in order to comply. This is simply unworkable for all but a handful of lawyers. The government has said it wants to target commercial infringement, yet complicated provisions like this one send a different message. The law should be amended to keep format shifting, but with a simplified process.
Rajotte’s Response To C-61
I've posted NDP and Liberal responses to C-61 last week, but did not bother posting the standard response from Industry Minister Jim Prentice and Canadian Heritage Minister Josee Verner that has been widely circulated online (and is replicated by many other Conservative MPs). A blog reader sent along the response received from Conservative MP and Industry Committee chair James Rajotte, which takes a more nuanced approach and is posted below with permission.
61 Reforms to C-61, Day 3: Format Shifting Subject to Digital Lock Provision
Yesterday's reform focused on one key limitation in the format shifting provision, namely the odd limitation of the format shifting provision to videocassettess. Today's reform picks up on what will be a consistent theme throughout this series – the subordination of any consumer rights to the digital lock. Indeed, virtually […]
Recent Posts
Bill S-210 Study Without Witnesses?: Why a Conservative Filibuster May Lead to New Internet Age Verification Requirements and Website Blocking Legislation 
A Post I Never Thought I Would Need to Write: Jewish Students Have the Right to Feel Safe on Campus 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 203: Andrew Clement on Calls to Separate Privacy Reform and Artificial Intelligence Regulation in Bill C-27 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 202: David Soberman on the Reality Behind Claims Canadian Wireless Prices Have Been Cut in Half 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 201: Robert Diab on the Billion Dollar Lawsuits Launched By Ontario School Boards Against Social Media Giants
