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Canada’s Worst Cellphone Bill: The Sequel

CBC’s Marketplace looks at Canada’s worst cellphone bill, examining roaming fees and cancellation charges along the way.

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March 14, 2011 1 comment News

In Defence of a Fair Use Defence

Lucie Guibault of the Institute for Information Law in Amsterdam makes the case for a fair use provision in Europe.

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March 14, 2011 9 comments News

U.S. Intellectual Property Demands for TPP Leak: Everything it Wanted in ACTA But Didn’t Get

With the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement negotiation concluded, attention is now turning to the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement. The TPP currently includes the US, Australia, Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, Singapore, Peru, Malaysia and Vietnam. Canada has not joined the negotiation, but there have been periodic rumours that wants in (it was […]

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March 11, 2011 20 comments News

EU: Time For a New Approach on Copyright

European Commissioner Neelie Kroes has called for a change in approach on copyright and orphan works to foster bringing more cultural content online.  In a speech today, she stated “we must move away from the current playing field for specialists in copyright law. It is high time to understand that, […]

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March 10, 2011 10 comments News

Do We Still Need Foreign Ownership Restrictions in Canadian Broadcasting?

In recent weeks, a political consensus has begun to emerge on the benefits of removing restrictions on foreign ownership in the telecommunications sector. My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes that implementing such reforms faces at least one major political stumbling block that is only tangentially related – the spillover effect onto the broadcasting sector.

As Canadian telecom operators, broadcasters, and broadcast distributors become single entities – Rogers combined with City-TV, Quebecor’s ownership of Videotron, Sun Media, and Groupe TVA, Shaw having purchased Canwest Global, as well as Bell in the process of merging with CTVglobemedia – the biggest hurdle may well be fears about the cultural impact of opening up telecom companies to foreign buyers.

While the link between broadcasting and Canadian culture is obvious, the connection between Canadian broadcasting ownership and Canadian culture is tenuous at best.

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March 10, 2011 59 comments Columns