Twitter has issued a transparency report that discloses government requests for user information along with copyright takedown demands. The report indicates that there were 11 Canadian user information requests in the first half of 2012, behind only the U.S. (easily the most requests) and Japan.
Latest Posts
Declaration of Internet Freedom
Dozens of civil society groups have issued a Declaration of Internet Freedom that focuses on five principles: expression, access, openness, innovation, and privacy.
All the News That’s Fit To Post and Link: Federal Court Clears Up Legal Risks
These postings and links were not particularly unusual – similar actions occur millions of times every day – yet soon after, Free Dominion was hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit claiming the posting and the link violated the Post and photographer’s copyright.
My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes that last week, the Federal Court of Canada issued its ruling, dismissing both claims (along with a claim over the posting of a second article for which the limitation period to sue had expired). The decision has enormous implications for Internet users, news organizations, and free speech in Canada as it removes much of the legal uncertainty surrounding sharing information online.
Bill C-11 Receives Royal Assent
Bill C-11, the copyright reform bill, passed third reading at the Senate and received royal assent today. The bill is now S.C. 2012, c.20. The reforms do not take effect yet, however. The bill must go through an order-in-council process with a series of new regulations first, a process that […]
Canada’s Notice-and-Notice vs. U.S.’s Notice-and-Takedown
Bob Tarantino has a good primer on the differences between Canada’s notice-and-notice system that will take effect with Bill C-11 and the U.S. notice-and-takedown approach.
Recent Posts
Canada’s DST Debacle a Case Study of Digital Strategy Trouble 
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
