Latest Posts

Battle Lines

I'm just returning from participating in the OECD's Future of the Digital Economy conference in Rome. The conference attracted about 350 attendees with all expected companies, lobby groups, NGOs, and governments in attendance.  I may write more about the conference next week, but it is worth highlighting my major take-away, […]

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February 1, 2006 2 comments News

The Sound of Silence

The Canadian Press picks up on the story involving Nettwerk's backing of a defendant in an RIAA suit.  The story includes some additional comments and insights from Nettwerk's Terry McBride.  McBride says that he has the support of all the artists that he manages including Avril Lavigne, the Barenaked Ladies, […]

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January 31, 2006 2 comments News

Coming Soon: The Two-Tiered Internet in Canada

Several Canwest papers run a story this morning (Montreal Gazette, Edmonton Journal) on the move toward a two-tiered Internet in Canada.  I’m quoted expressing concern, but the most important part of the story comes from Telus, which not only confirms the move toward tieried pricing ("The industry has to move […]

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January 30, 2006 12 comments News

The Risks and Rewards of Data Retention

My weekly Law Bytes column (Toronto Star version, freely available version, BBC version) examines the U.S. Department of Justice’s demand for search data from the world’s leading search engines.  I argue that while much of the focus has been on the privacy implications of the USDOJ request, the story highlights […]

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January 30, 2006 2 comments Columns

Leading Canadian Music Label Challenges RIAA Lawsuits

Nettwerk Music Group, Canada's leading privately owned record label (and a label that refuses to use copy-controls), has taken the remarkable step of joining the fight against the RIAA's strategy of lawsuits against alleged file sharers.  The company, which represents some of Canada's top artists including Sarah McLachlan, Avril Lavigne, […]

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January 26, 2006 17 comments News