Marlene Catteral, a Canadian MP and chair of the Canadian Heritage parliamentary committee has told (Quicktime format) a university audience that the government has delayed plans to introduce a much-criticized copyright proposal to establish a extended license for educational institutions. The proposal would have created a license for Internet materials that were not publicly available.
Latest Posts
Time for Canada To Cancel Crown Copyright
My weekly Law Bytes column (full hypertext version with background links or Toronto Star version, homepage version) focuses on Canadian crown copyright, which provides that the government retains the copyright associated with any work that is prepared or published by or under its direction, creating an enormous and unconscionable barrier to Canadian film making, political advocacy, and free speech.
P2P Goes to the Movies
The Vancouver Sun ran a story over the weekend on the growing popularity of downloading movies on P2P networks. The article notes that movie swapping is still tiny in comparison to music, but that it may grow in the future.
Canadian Security Companies, Heritage Committee MP Concerned Over Copyright Reforms
A group of Canadian security firms have released a public letter also expressing concern over potential Canadian copyright reforms. The companies note the negative impact of the DMCA on security research and urge the government to avoid criminalizing technology. I'm quoted in the Toronto Star's coverage of the letter, noting that the potential rules may render illegal what sits the core of legitimate security research.
Ontario Court of Appeal Hears Bangoura Appeal
The Ontario Court of Appeal heard arguments yesterday in an appeal of the Bangoura v. Washington Post decision. The case raises significant Internet jurisdiction issues, citing leading cases such as Gutnick. The decision has attracted considerable global attention, with dozens of major media companies intervening in support of the Post. I appeared on CBC's As It Happens to discuss the case (and I wrote about the trial decision when it was first released last year).
Recent Posts
Debating the Online Harms Act: Insights from Two Recent Panels on Bill C-63 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 199: Boris Bytensky on the Criminal Code Reforms in the Online Harms Act 
AI Spending is Not an AI Strategy: Why the Government’s Artificial Intelligence Plan Avoids the Hard Governance Questions 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 198: Richard Moon on the Return of the Section 13 Hate Speech Provision in the Online Harms Act 
Tweets Are Not Enough: Why Combatting Relentless Antisemitism in Canada Requires Real Leadership and Action
