Michael Geist

Latest Posts

Why Canada Does Not Belong on the U.S. Piracy Watchlist

In what has become an annual rite of spring, each April the U.S. government releases its Special 301 report – often referred to as the Piracy Watch List – which claims to identify countries with sub-standard intellectual property laws. Canada has appeared on this list for many years alongside dozens of countries. In fact, over 70% of the world’s population is placed on the list and most African countries are not even considered for inclusion.

While the Canadian government has consistently rejected the U.S. list because it “basically lacks reliable and objective analysis”, this year I teamed up with Public Knowledge to try to provide the U.S. Trade Representative Office with something a bit more reliable and objective. Public Knowledge will appear at a USTR hearing on Special 301 today. In addition, last week we participated in meetings at the U.S. Department of Commerce and USTR to defend current Canadian copyright law and the proposed reforms.

The full submission on Canadian copyright is available here. It focuses on four main issues: how Canadian law provides adequate and effective protection, how enforcement is stronger than often claimed, why Canada is not a piracy haven, and why Bill C-11 does not harm the interests of rights holders (critics of Bill C-11 digital lock rules will likely think this is self-evident). The section challenging the piracy haven claims states the following:

February 23, 2012 — 28 comments — News

Estimating the Costs of Online Surveillance

The CBC reports that the online surveillance bill will cost $20 million per year for four years. ITBusiness.ca highlights some of the problems with the estimate.

February 23, 2012 — 4 comments — News

European Commission Refers ACTA to the European Court of Justice

The European Commission, which has been a staunch supporter of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, today announced that it is referring ACTA to the European Court of Justice to determine whether ACTA is incompatible – in any way – with the EU’s fundamental rights and freedoms. While the move may mean […]

February 22, 2012 — 2 comments — News

Why Bill C-30 Gives the Govt the Power To Install Its Own Surveillance Equipment on ISP Networks

Over the past few days, I’ve posted on some of the implications of Bill C-30, including the mandatory disclosure of subscriber information, the “voluntary” warrantless disclosure of emails and web surfing habits, and the stunning lack of detail on a wide range of issues including costs and surveillance capabilities. While the bill includes some detail on surveillance capability requirements, perhaps the most dangerous provision is Section 14, which gives the government a stunning array of powers:

to order an ISP or telecom provider to install surveillance capabilities “in a manner and within a time” specified by the government
to order an ISP or telecom provider to install additional equipment to allow for more simultaneous interceptions than is otherwise specified in the law (the government sets a maximum and then can simply ignore its own guidelines)
to order an ISP or telecom provider to comply with additional confidentiality requirements not otherwise specified in the law
to order an ISP or telecom provider to meet additional operational requirements not otherwise specified in the law

Given these powers, Section 14 essentially gives the government the power to override the limits and guidelines it establishes in the bill (it must pay the provider an amount the government decides is reasonable for doing so). If that wasn’t enough, Section 14(4) goes even further. It provides:

The Minister may provide the telecommunications service provider with any equipment or other thing that the Minister considers the service provider needs to comply with an order made under this section.