The Canadian Bookseller Association is a national not-for profit trade association representing trade and campus booksellers in all provinces and territories. Immediately after Bill C-32 was unveiled, the CBA issued a release criticizing the digital lock rules, indicating it: “would like to see the government go even further in the […]
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Can Canada Learn Anything From Europe on Copyright?
Von Lewinski, who warned in her speech against NGOs and public interest groups active on copyright issues who she said were really fronts for telcos and ISPs, assured the audience that there were no problems with the digital lock rules in Europe with only one complaint in the many years since it was established (a positioned echoed by Mihaly Ficsor later in the day). It should be noted that other studies, such as this exhaustive one from the Institute for Information Law at the University of Amsterdam commissioned by the European Commission’s Internal Market Directorate General, come to a much different conclusion. It found numerous problems with situation in Europe, recommending:
To remedy the lack of legal certainty and harmonisation with respect to the legal protection of TPMs, and to align the European provisions with the EU’s international obligations under the WIPO Treaties, the EC legislator should consider clarifying the legal framework in four respects. First, the prohibition on acts of circumvention should only find application in circumstances where the act of circumvention results in copyright infringement.
The Daily Digital Lock Dissenter, Day 14: Canadian National Institute for the Blind
The Canadian National Institute for the Blind was founded in 1918 and has grown into the primary resource of Canadians who are blind or partially sighted. The issue of digital locks impeding access for the blind has already been raised in the House of Commons debates on C-11, since the […]
Lawful Access Clarified
The National Post runs a good article that tries to separate fact from fiction on the government’s forthcoming lawful access legislation.
Was Canada’s Open Government Delay Part of the Plan?
While some delays due to the election call were understandable, seven months of inaction led skeptics to wonder whether the entire announcement was little more than a publicity stunt. The delays are particularly discouraging given Canada’s willingness to pressure others about the value of open government. Last month, Canada became one of 46 countries to join the Open Government Partnership, which is focused on the availability of information about governmental activities, supporting civic participation, and increasing access to new technologies for openness and accountability. A letter from Foreign Minister John Baird to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirming Canada’s participation noted the June Speech from the Throne that reaffirmed support for open data, open information, and open dialogue.