Earlier this week, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce released a report on intellectual property. I argued that the claims were completely lacking in statistical rigour and that the Chamber did little more than embarrass itself and its members. Apparently, one of its members was indeed embarrassed by the report and […]
Canadian Heritage Memorandum, December 8, 2020, ATIP A-2020-00498
Bill C-10
Ontario Chamber of Commerce Floats Counterfeit Numbers
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce is out today with a new report on intellectual property which recycles many of the demands of the copyright lobby – WIPO ratification, tougher penalties, and a handful of task forces. What makes the report unique, however, is its claims about the size and scope of the counterfeiting issue in Canada. The report includes the RCMP's discredited $30 billion claim and even though the RCMP has backed away from it, the report states that it is a "widely accepted" estimate.
The Chamber's press release trumpets $22.5 billion in counterfeiting losses for Canada of which it says $9 billion comes from Ontario. How did it arrive at this figure?
Canadian Copyright Bill “Weeks Away”
Dierdre McMurdy of the Ottawa Citizen confirms widespread speculation that a copyright bill is only a few weeks away. The article notes the strong link between the bill and U.S. pressure with reports of meetings between U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins and both Industry Minister Jim Prentice and Canadian […]
Ask First, ACTA Later
Kim Weatherall notes that the Australian government has launched a public consultation on its possible involvement in the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement negotiations. Unlike the Canadian government, which jumped at the chance to join the U.S. in the negotiations with no advance warning and no public discussion, the Australians are taking […]
RCMP Says It Doesn’t Target Music Downloaders
Recent comments from the RCMP about their IP enforcement priorities are attracting considerable attention. The head of federal investigations last week acknowledged that infringement for personal use is no longer targeted (if it ever was). Instead, the RCMP prioritizes health and safety issues such as fake medicines or unsafe electrical […]
Recent Posts
From Making Web Giants Pay to Making Taxpayers Pay: Government Announces Plan to Kill the CRTC’s Online Streaming Ruling 
Digital Self-Sabotage: Why Canada’s AI Strategy Is Set to Fail Before it Even Launches 
Why Mark Carney’s Antisemitism Speech Did Not Meet the Moment 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 270: Roundtable on the Bill C-22 Risks for Canadian Tech Companies Featuring VPN Services Tailscale and Windscribe 
RCMP Confirms Bill C-22 Concerns: Police Want Law to Provide Access to Encrypted Communications
