Canadian Press follows up on last week's counterfeiting hearings with a story that confirms that the committee is planning to move forward having heard just one side of the story. Says committee chair Conservative MP Garry Breitkreuz, "I think we've heard enough. . .this is a serious problem for the […]
Canadian Heritage Memorandum, December 8, 2020, ATIP A-2020-00498
Bill C-10
“Counterfeiting Can Kill”
The Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security held a hearing this morning on counterfeit goods. The panel was well stacked, featuring the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Anti-Counterfeiting Network, and the CRIA. Given that composition, the resulting comments will come as little surprise – a Chamber of Commerce representative professed embarrassment over Canada's IP laws, the CACN representatives passed around an extension cord without sufficent grounding while asserting that "fatalities are inevitable" and that IP enforcement is a "lost cause" in Canada. A CACN lawyer noted the great success of educating six and seven year-olds about counterfeit toys that do not contain a tag indicating that they are made of new materials. Graham Henderson indicated that it was about "jobs, jobs, jobs" and that Kenya provides a model for addressing IP issues (though he neglected to mention that like Canada, Kenya has signed, but not ratified, the WIPO Internet treaties).
The panelists all claimed that Canada's IP enforcement system is outdated and thus requires significant new resources and legislative change. There was also considerable emphasis on creating a Canadian IP enforcement infrastructure, with Henderson calling for the creation of an IP Crime Task Force and IP Co-ordination Councils at the federal and provincial levels.
The committee was incredibly receptive to this message.
Number Crunching
Earlier this month, U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins stepped up the pressure on Canada on copyright. The speech that launched a round of media coverage has now been posted by the U.S. Embassy. The relevant passage is: We are asking the Government of Canada to strengthen your copyright laws. There is […]
Can’t Blame Canada For Counterfeiting
My weekly Law Bytes column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) picks up on last week's posting on the Canadian Anti-Counterfeiting Network's claims about counterfeiting in Canada. In begins by noting that based on recent media coverage, people unfamiliar with Canada could be forgiven for assuming that all Canadians sport pirate […]
Can’t Blame Canada For Counterfeiting
Appeared in the Toronto Star on March 5, 2007 as Piracy in Canada Noise Getting Tiresome Based on recent media coverage, people unfamiliar with Canada could be forgiven for assuming that all Canadians sport pirate eye-patches while searching for counterfeit treasure. The "Canada as a piracy haven" meme has been […]