Appeared in the Toronto Star on April 12, 2010 as Talks on Secret Anti-Counterfeiting Treaty Spring a Leak Negotiations on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement resume today in Wellington, New Zealand, with Canada, the United States, the European Union, and a handful of other countries launching the eighth round of talks. […]
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Reviewing CRTC’s Broadcast Policy Decision
My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) takes a look back at last week's CRTC broadcast policy decision and report on the consumer impact. The piece covers much the same terrain as two blog posts on the same issue. I note that after months of intense lobbying and marketing that pitted broadcasters ("Local TV Matters") against cable and satellite companies ("Stop the TV Tax"), the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission weighed in last week with its much-anticipated broadcasting regulatory policy decision.
Broadcasting Policy Without A Net
Appeared in the Toronto Star on March 29, 2010 as Broadcast Policy Gives the Web a Wide Berth After months of intense lobbying and marketing that pitted broadcasters ("Local TV Matters") against cable and satellite companies ("Stop the TV Tax"), the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission weighed in last week […]
Bookseller Restrictions About Competition, Not Culture
Eight years ago, the federal government faced a hot-button cultural policy issue as online retail giant Amazon.com, which was already selling millions of dollars of books to Canadians from its U.S.-based site, sought entry into the Canadian market. Canadian investment regulations posed a significant barrier, however, since the law required government approval for foreign investment in the book publishing and distribution sectors.
My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes that Amazon was ultimately granted a form of non-entry entry. The company established Amazon.ca, but did not set up shop in Canada. Instead, it outsourced distribution to Canada Post, enabling the government to rule that the company’s plans fell outside the book distribution restrictions.






