Arthur Carty, the national science advisor to Prime Minister Paul Martin, has published a remarkable op-ed titled A Global Information System Needs a Culture of Sharing, in the latest issue of University Affairs. This should be required reading and, if it reflects the thinking at the Prime Minister’s Office, offers […]
Latest Posts
Not Playing At A Tiny Screen Near You
This week's announcement from Apple and ABC/Disney about the availability of ABC shows such as Desperate Housewives and Lost as downloads for US$1.99 for the new video-playing iPod has rightly attracted significant attention. This is the first step toward another new market – television shows for virtually immediate download. I […]
Collectives Win Big at the Copyright Board of Canada
The Copyright Board of Canada this morning issued its decision on royalties for music played on commercial radio stations. The decision is a huge win for the copyright collectives (SOCAN and NRCC) and a corresponding loss for the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. The Board has ruled that the prior tariffs […]
No Excuse to Delay Number Portability
My weekly Law Bytes column (Toronto Star version, freely available version) focuses on the CRTC’s wireless number portability consultation. I argue that while the industry regularly touts the Canadian wireless environment as a highly competitive, world-class market, the truth is that Canada trails badly on the number portability issue. The […]
Australia’s High Court Delivers Some Copyright Lessons for Canada
The Australian High Court today delivered a landmark copyright decision involving "mod chips" and Sony PlayStations. The case goes to the heart of anti-circumvention provisions that create very contentious proposals in Bill C-60 here in Canada. At issue in the Australian case was whether mod-chips, used to modify the Sony […]
Recent Posts
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 206: James Plotkin and David Fewer on Canada’s Landmark Copyright Ruling on Fair Dealing and Digital Locks 
Government Court Filing on Bill C-11: “The Act Does Allow For the Regulation of User-Uploaded Programs on Social Media Services” 
Sour Grapes: Big Media Lobby Wants to Squash the New Collective Responsible For Administering Google’s $100 Million Online News Act Money 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 205: Len St-Aubin on What the CRTC’s Internet Streaming Ruling Means For Creators, Competition and Consumer Costs 
Pay Up and Shut Up: How The CRTC Has Removed Canadians From Broadcast and Internet Policy
