Latest Posts

Is Relying on Open Access Materials “Irresponsible”?

Last week I raised the question of whether Canadian universities should consider walking away from Access Copyright in light of its recent tariff demands.  The post did not reject licencing, but rather noted that the combined effect of openly accessible materials, licenced databases, and fair dealing was such that the Access Copyright licence may not be necessary for many professors.  Where there is a need for a specific work that is not otherwise available, it could be directly licenced with the copyright holder, thereby ensuring that the actual author receives full compensation for their work.  In the post, I used myself an example, noting that I am able to rely on openly accessible materials for my courses.

The fact that I rely on openly accessible materials led Access Copyright supporter John Degen to describe my approach as a “shockingly arbitrary and irresponsible policy that will only place artificial (and highly political) limits on education.” Degen then implies that the choice is based on attempting to find cheap materials or ones that are consistent with my political leanings.

Yet the only thing irresponsible is Degen’s effort to link cost with quality. 

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August 18, 2010 106 comments News

FTC Targets Canadian-based Domain Registration Scam

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has shut down a Canadian-based domain name registration scam based out of Toronto.  Thousands of businesses received fake domain name renewal notices from the scammers.

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August 18, 2010 4 comments News

Canadian Library Association on C-32: Digital Lock Rules “Fundamentally Flawed”

The Canadian Library Association has released detailed comments on Bill C-32.  At the risk of being labeled “radical extremists” by Canadian Heritage James Moore, the CLA adopts positions that are very similar to those found on this blog and by those arguing for balanced copyright.  The bottom line from the […]

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August 17, 2010 16 comments News

ACTA Talks Resume: Round Ten Opens Today in Washington

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement talks resume today as Round Ten opens in Washington, DC. The full agenda indicates that all the issues will be addressed along with discussions of many smaller matters that have been left until the end.  Following the last round in Lucerne, Switzerland (which only concluded 47 […]

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August 16, 2010 7 comments News

SOCAN Seeks Leave to Appeal Fair Dealing Decision

SOCAN has filed a motion for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada in the case involving fair dealing and online music previews.  The Federal Court of Appeal upheld the Copyright Board’s ruling that such previews could be viewed as consumer research and qualify for fair dealing consideration.

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August 16, 2010 1 comment News