The European Commission hosted an information session for non-governmental groups on Europe’s current trade negotiations. The Canada – EU Trade Agreement was the first discussed. Both Ends, a Dutch NGO, reports that European officials indicated that they are still unhappy with the Canadian position on copyright and patents. While the […]
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Swartz’s Death Places Spotlight on More Open Access To Information
The Internet community has been reeling for the past week as it grapples with the suicide of Aaron Swartz, a prominent digital rights activist who left a remarkable legacy for a 26-year old. Swartz’s contributions are used by millions of people every day as he played a key role in developing the specifications for RSS (which makes it easy to syndicate online content), Creative Commons licences (which makes is easy to make creative works freely available), and the popular website Reddit.
My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes that while much of the immediate focus has centered on mental health issues, draconian computer crime laws, and the bewildering prosecution of Swartz for downloading millions of academic articles – a U.S. prosecutor was seeking as much as 35 years in jail despite the fact that Swartz did not benefit from the downloads and the source of the articles did not want to pursue legal action – the more notable legacy was his effort to make information more openly and freely available.
American Girl Loses Battle for AmericanGirl.ca Domain
American Girl, the well-known doll maker, recently lost a domain name battle over AmericanGirl.ca as panelist Bradley Freedman ruled that the company failed to meet the basic requirements in the dot-ca dispute resolution policy. The case should have been a slam dunk as the company’s trademark pre-dates the domain name […]
Celebrating Internet Freedom Day: When the Internet Met Copyright
Today is Internet Freedom Day, a day to celebrate efforts to ensure an open and free Internet. Coming on the anniversary of the Wikipedia blackout that successfully stopped the Stop Online Piracy Act in the United States, it is worth thinking about the many successes (ACTA, Internet surveillance in Canada), […]
Ontario Court Rejects U.S. Government Demand for Full Access to Megaupload Servers Seized in Canada
Many readers will recall that nearly one year ago, the U.S. government launched a global takedown of Megaupload.com, with arrests of the leading executives in New Zealand and the execution of search warrants in nine countries. Canada was among the list of participating countries as the action included seizure of […]
Recent Posts
Canadian Government Caves on Digital Services Tax After Years of Dismissing the Risks of Trade Retaliation 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 238: David Fraser on Why Bill C-2’s Lawful Access Powers May Put Canadians’ Digital Security At Risk 
Ignoring the Warning Signs: Why Did the Canadian Government Dismiss the Trade Risks of a Digital Services Tax? 
Why Bill C-2 Faces a Likely Constitutional Challenge By Placing Solicitor-Client Privilege at Risk 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 237: A Conversation with Jason Woywada of BCFIPA on Political Party Privacy and Bill C-4
