The Globe and Mail is reporting that the Conservatives will announce their commitment to completing new trade agreements with the European Union and India at an event this morning in Halifax. The focus on the EU deal – CETA – is noteworthy because there may be a divide between the […]
Post Tagged with: "canadian heritage"
Cdn Heritage Ctee Recommends Excluding Copyright From Trade Deals, Limits on Implementing ACTA
The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage has released its report on CETA and ACTA. The report, which is based on hearings that featured Minister Peter van Loan, includes a notable recommendation with respect to ACTA implementation and future trade negotiations, including the ongoing Canada – European Union Trade Agreement discussions. […]
Canadian Heritage Officials Questioned CRTC Reports on Fee-For-Carriage
The Wire Report reports (sub req) that documents obtained under Access to Information reveal that Canadian Heritage department officials questioned CRTC data on the fee-for-carriage issue last year. The report indicates “the CRTC does not always present the data in a complete manner” and that it appears to exaggerate the […]
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.
Consultation Lays Bare Divide Over Future of Canadian Book Industry
My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes the answer lies in Canada’s longstanding cultural policy and the significant protections it establishes over the publication, distribution and sale of books. These include restrictions on foreign entry into the Canadian marketplace that reserve majority ownership for Canadians on the premise that an open market would hamper the ability of Canadian authors, publishers and booksellers to compete.