Outcome of the hearing here.
Latest Posts
SAC Defends Its Proposal
Eddie Schwartz, the president of the Songwriters Association of Canada, responds to the recent National Post editorial criticizing the organization's proposal to fully legalize file sharing with a counterpoint editorial.
Statscan Reports Canadian Music Industry Maintains Profitability
Statscan reports this morning that Canada's sound recording and music publishing industries maintained their profitability in 2006, though at a declining rate. Revenues declined for the sound recording industry, yet the industry remained profitable at 9.5 percent (down from 13.1 percent in 2005). The report importantly notes that Canadian firms […]
Responding to the IIPA’s “Inaccuracies and Hyperbole”
Last month, the IIPA, a lobby group representing a handful entertainment industries, released its annual submission to the United States Trade Representative criticizing the copyright laws of dozens of countries around the world. That submission will likely play an influential role in next month's USTR Special 301 Report. As usual, Canada was on their list, leading to the usual press coverage claiming that Canada is a laggard on copyright reform. While Canadian officials have criticized the USTR Special 301 report, to my knowledge the government has never made a formal submission defending Canadian policies.
This year, the USTR received 24 submissions, including comments from three countries – Israel, Poland, and Turkey (the USTR has posted the non-governmental submissions for the first time this year). The Israeli submission has been posted online and provides a great model for how countries should be defending their national interests. The submission, which characterizes the IIPA submission as containing the "usual inaccuracies and hyperbole," includes a great defense of Israeli copyright policy. For example, on the issue of anti-circumvention legislation it notes:
Recent Posts
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 232: What Will Canadian Digital Policy Look Like Under the New Liberal Carney Government? 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 231: Sara Bannerman on How Canadian Political Parties Maximize Voter Data Collection and Minimize Privacy Safeguards 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 230: Aengus Bridgman on the 2025 Federal Election, Social Media Platforms, and Misinformation 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 229: My Digital Access Day Keynote – Assessing the Canadian Digital Policy Record 
Queen’s University Trustees Reject Divestment Efforts Emphasizing the Importance of Institutional Neutrality
