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Supreme Court Will Lead Tech Law in 2011

Predictions about the upcoming year in technology law and policy in Canada are particularly challenging given the prospect of a possible election.  My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes that while there is no shortage of potential new laws – bills on privacy, copyright, and lawful access are all before the House of Commons – an election call before the fall would likely mean that those bills would die on the order paper.

With political uncertainty clouding even the best crystal ball, the Supreme Court of Canada is set to emerge this year as the place where much of the action will take place.  Canada’s highest court has lined up a tech-heavy docket that will have a major impact Canadian law.

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January 11, 2011 5 comments Columns

Canadian Recording Industry To Pay $45 Million To Settle Class Action Over Copyright Infringement

The four major record labels that comprise the Canadian Recording Industry Association – EMI Music Canada Inc., Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., Universal Music Canada Inc. and Warner Music Canada Co. – have agreed to pay $45 million to settle one of the largest copyright class action lawsuits in Canadian […]

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January 10, 2011 32 comments News

Study Ranks Canada Last on Access to Information

A new study comparing five parliamentary democracies ranks Canada last on the effectiveness of its access to information legislation.

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January 10, 2011 6 comments News

The Netflix Effect in Canada

Credit Suisse has conducted a study that unsurprisingly finds that Canadian ISP pricing leads to sticker shock for those subscribing to services such as Netflix.  That will only continue with ISPs such as Primus and Shaw introducing new limits on their bandwidth caps.

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January 10, 2011 14 comments News

FCC Launches Open Internet Apps Challenge

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has launched an Open Internet apps challenge, inviting the public to produce research and create apps that empower consumers to monitor and protect Internet openness.

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January 10, 2011 1 comment News