Post Tagged with: "anti-counterfeiting trade agreement"

Bloc MP Seeking Canadian Hearings on ACTA

Bloc MP Carole Lavallée has sent a notion of motion to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage calling for hearings on Canada’s role at the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement negotiations.  The motion states: That pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) the Committee on Canadian Heritage invite the Minister of Canadian Heritage and […]

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October 19, 2010 2 comments News

Digital Advocacy’s “Weak Ties” Should Not Be Underestimated

Malcolm Gladwell, the best-selling Canadian writer for the New Yorker, recently turned his attention to the use of Twitter, Facebook, and the Internet for digital advocacy.  Gladwell dismissed claims that digital advocacy has been an effective tool, lamenting that “people have forgotten what advocacy is about.”  He suggested that effective advocacy that leads to broad social or political change requires “strong ties” among people who are closely connected, committed to the cause, and well organized.  When Gladwell examined digital advocacy initiatives he found precisely the opposite – weak ties between people with minimal commitment and no organizational structure.

My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version)  notes the Gladwell article was published two days after Canada, the United States, the European Union, and a handful of other countries concluded negotiations on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.  Although some issues must still be sorted out, the countries have agreed on a broad framework and announced that no further negotiation rounds are planned.

With the draft agreement now public, it is apparent that one of the biggest stories over the three-year negotiation was the willingness of the U.S. to compromise on the rules associated with the Internet.  When it first proposed the Internet chapter, the U.S. demanded new liability requirements for Internet providers (including the possibility of terminating subscriber access based on multiple allegations of infringement) as well as tough digital lock rules that went far beyond current international treaty requirements.  

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October 18, 2010 18 comments Columns

Digital Advocacy’s “Weak Ties” Should Not Be Underestimated

Appeared in the Toronto Star on October 17, 2010 as Digital Advocacy’s “Weak Ties” Should Not Be Underestimated Malcolm Gladwell, the best-selling Canadian writer for the New Yorker, recently turned his attention to the use of Twitter, Facebook, and the Internet for digital advocacy.  Gladwell dismissed claims that digital advocacy […]

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October 18, 2010 1 comment Columns Archive

ACTA in the UK

Andres Guadamuz has an insightful post on the likely impact of ACTA in the UK.

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October 18, 2010 Comments are Disabled News

ACTA Conclusion Leaves Flexibility for Made-in-Canada Approach

Negotiations on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement concluded earlier this month, with Canada, the United States, the European Union, and a handful of other countries releasing the text of a near-complete agreement.  While several key issues are still unresolved, no further negotiation rounds are planned as participants plan to use the coming weeks to iron out the remaining differences.

My weekly technology law column (Ottawa Citizen version, homepage version) notes that for many Canadians, a core concern with the agreement was the possibility that it could severely limit the ability to establish a made-in-Canada approach on copyright and intellectual property policy.  Indeed, NDP Digital Affairs Critic Charlie Angus raised the issue in the House of Commons last year, noting that ACTA could undermine domestic policy.

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October 12, 2010 14 comments Columns