The Montreal Gazette reports that Stationnement de Montréal, a subsidiary of the Montreal Board of Trade, has demanded the removal of an iPhone application that pinpoints where Bixi bikes, public-use bikes, are available in the city. The Board cites trademark rights in the name Bixi.
Latest Posts
CRTC Chair Says Broadcast and Telco Acts Need Overhaul
CRTC Chair Konrad von Finckenstein told an audience last week that the Telecommunications Act and Broadcasting Act require an overhaul with a single communications law the better approach.
The Agenda’s Decade of Downloading Debate
Last Friday, I appeared on TVO's The Agenda for a 40 minute debate titled "A Decade of Downloading." Other participants include Bob Wiseman (formerly of Blue Rodeo), Matt Hartley of the Globe and Mail, Grant Dexter of MapleMusic, and Andy Maize of the Skydiggers and MapleMusic. The program is embedded […]
OECD Report Finds Canadian Broadband Slow, Expensive
In recent months, much of the discussion about high-speed Internet service in Canada has focused on two key issues – net neutrality and the need to bring broadband access to the remaining underserved areas in rural Canada. Both of these issues are now squarely on the public agenda with the CRTC conducting hearings on net neutrality next month and the government committing millions toward rural broadband initiatives in this year's budget.
My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes that issing is a third, fast-growing concern, however. According to a new OECD report, Canada has one of the slowest and most expensive consumer broadband networks in the developed world. The OECD report, widely viewed as the leading global benchmark on broadband networks, compared Canada with 29 other countries on a range of metrics. These included broadband availability, pricing, speed, and bandwidth caps.
At first glance, the numbers do not seem that bad, with Canada ranking ninth out of 30 countries for broadband penetration. While that represents a sharp decline from years ago when Canada prided itself in standing second worldwide, its current position is unchanged from last year. Yet the situation becomes far more troubling once the OECD delves deeper into Canadian broadband pricing and speed.
Cinema Guzzo Faces $10K Damage Award for Invasive Search
Cinema Guzzo, a Montreal-based theatre chain, has been ordered to pay $10,000 in damages arising from the search of a patron's bag that violated their privacy rights. The lawsuit over the "abusive search" was first filed in July 2007. While this case has nothing to do with copyright, how long […]
Recent Posts
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 232: What Will Canadian Digital Policy Look Like Under the New Liberal Carney Government? 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 231: Sara Bannerman on How Canadian Political Parties Maximize Voter Data Collection and Minimize Privacy Safeguards 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 230: Aengus Bridgman on the 2025 Federal Election, Social Media Platforms, and Misinformation 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 229: My Digital Access Day Keynote – Assessing the Canadian Digital Policy Record 
Queen’s University Trustees Reject Divestment Efforts Emphasizing the Importance of Institutional Neutrality
