A new Ontario Private Member’s bill introduced by MPP David Orazietti focused on wireless services would establish new transparency requirements and mandate unlocking cellphones upon contract expiry. The key provisions of Bill 133 include: a long list of disclosure requirements related to the costs associated with service plans, advertisements, roaming […]
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Bill C-32 Legislative Committee Formed
The new legislative committee for the review of Bill C-32 has been announced. Members include: Conservatives Dean Del Mastro, Mike Lake, Kelly Block, Sylvie Boucher, and Peter Braid; Liberals Marc Garneau, Pablo Rodriguez, and Dan McTeague; Bloc MPs Serge Cardin and Carole Lavallée, and NDP MP Charlie Angus. A chair […]
Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore on How Copyright Can Treat Consumers Unfairly
When I buy a movie, I’ve paid for the movie. To ask me to pay for it a second time through another device – and to assume that I’m doing illegal copying, to assume that I’m being a pirate, to assume that I’m thieving from people because I happen to own an MP3 player or a BluRay player or a laptop, I think treats consumers unfairly.
While Moore was thinking of the prospect of additional payments through a levy, the words apply equally to the digital lock provisions that make it an infringement for consumers to circumvent locks in order to watch the movie they’ve purchased on a second device. In fact, in some instances – for example, DVDs with non-North American region codes – it involves infringement for merely trying to access the content for the first time.
University of Alberta Looking to Walk Away from Access Copyright
The momentum within Canadian higher education to walk away from Access Copyright in light of its demands for a massive increase in tariffs continues to grow. The University of Alberta, one of the country’s largest universities, has apparently sent notices that it is seriously contemplating walking away at the end […]
Globe and Mail Discussion on C-32
Following on its article on copyright and culture, the Globe hosted an excellent discussion on Bill C-32 with my colleague Jeremy deBeer and Queens prof Sidneyeve Matrix.
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