The video of the often-contentious ACTA debate hosted by Google in Washington earlier this week has been posted online. Well worth watching.
Canadian Heritage Memorandum, December 8, 2020, ATIP A-2020-00498
Bill C-10
Rep. Mike Doyle on ACTA
Congressman Mike Doyle on ACTA: "The USTR has communicated to me that ACTA won’t cement current provisions in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act – provisions that I’d like to see changed, like the anti-circumvention provision. And they’ve said that ACTA won’t require Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to become “copyright cops” […]
Union des Consommateurs Files ACTA Protest
Union des Consommateurs has posted a public letter expressing concern over the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.
Legislators Worldwide Asking Questions About ACTA
Legislators around the world are demanding more information on the secret Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. French Deputy Nicolas Dupont-Aignan raised ACTA questions in the National Assembly late last year, expressing concerns about a global three-strikes and you're out approach, increased costs for medicines, and the lack of transparency associated with the process.
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden goes even further in a letter to the USTR this week that seeks answers to nearly a dozen questions about ACTA. Wyden asks about:
- possible constraints on domestic U.S. law reforms
- ensuring ACTA does not interfere with public health flexibilities in TRIPs
- the definition of counterfeit
- concerns about the inclusion of patents within ACTA
- the role of ISPs in ACTA
- whether increased monitoring of subscriber usage is envisioned by ACTA
- the privacy impact of ACTA
- details on border measures provisions
- third party liability for IP infringement
- possible commitments worldwide to comply with the DMCA
Wyden is not the first U.S. senator to raise questions about ACTA. Last year, Senators Bernie Sanders and Sherrod Brown also wrote to the USTR as did Senators Pat Leahy and Arlen Specter in 2008.
UK Gov’t On ACTA: Lack of Transparency Not In the Public Interest
The UK Government discusses the lack of transparency in an EU access to information request: "More broadly with respect to ACTA the UK considers that transparency is crucial to ensure the legitimacy of the agreement and to stop the spread of rumours. We believe the lack of transparency is unhelpful […]
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
