I have covered Bill C-47, the Olympic Corporate Sponsor Protection Act, in several postings (here and here). The Vancouver Sun has fascinating article that demonstrates how C-47 is really just the tip of the iceberg. It uncovered the list of official marks controlled by the various Canadian Olympic committees. The list, which some IP lawyers argue represents a misuse of Section 9 of the Trademark Act, includes:
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TPM Petition Presented in the House of Commons
NDP MP Charlie Angus yesterday presented a petition focused on TPMs to the House of Commons. The petitioners call upon Parliament to "prohibit the application of a technical protection measure to a device without the informed consent of the owner of the device and to prohibit the conditioning of the […]
Emily of the State
The Liberal introduction of Bill C-416 has sparked the folks at Cynically Tested to remind everyone about the great parody they produced on the subject.
“Counterfeiting Can Kill”
The Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security held a hearing this morning on counterfeit goods. The panel was well stacked, featuring the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Anti-Counterfeiting Network, and the CRIA. Given that composition, the resulting comments will come as little surprise – a Chamber of Commerce representative professed embarrassment over Canada's IP laws, the CACN representatives passed around an extension cord without sufficent grounding while asserting that "fatalities are inevitable" and that IP enforcement is a "lost cause" in Canada. A CACN lawyer noted the great success of educating six and seven year-olds about counterfeit toys that do not contain a tag indicating that they are made of new materials. Graham Henderson indicated that it was about "jobs, jobs, jobs" and that Kenya provides a model for addressing IP issues (though he neglected to mention that like Canada, Kenya has signed, but not ratified, the WIPO Internet treaties).
The panelists all claimed that Canada's IP enforcement system is outdated and thus requires significant new resources and legislative change. There was also considerable emphasis on creating a Canadian IP enforcement infrastructure, with Henderson calling for the creation of an IP Crime Task Force and IP Co-ordination Councils at the federal and provincial levels.
The committee was incredibly receptive to this message.
SCC Grants Leave in PIPEDA Case
The Supreme Court of Canada this morning granted leave in the Blood Tribe case, which involves questions about the Privacy Commissioner of Canada's ability to compel the production of documents over which a claim of solicitor-client privilege is asserted in the context of an investigation under PIPEDA.