Fair Dealing by Giulia Forsythe (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/dRkXwP
Copyright
NZ Govt Copyright Leak: Doubts Value of WIPO Internet Treaties, Supports Flexible Digital Lock Rules
Putting Copyright Statutory Damages In Perspective
Liberal MP Dan McTeague questioned the change, suggesting that it could send the wrong message about infringement and be viewed as a licence to steal. I disagreed with his position, pointing out that $5,000 was still enormous cost for most Canadians and that it is potential multi-million dollar liability for non-commercial file sharing that sends a bad message about Canadian justice.
I also made the point that statutory damages are relatively rare on the international scene, a point that I think is worth expanding upon. Perhaps because both Canada and the U.S. have statutory damages, many MPs might be under the mistaken impression that most countries have them. In fact, the opposite is the case.
NDP MP Angus Calls For Compromise on Bill C-32
NDP MP Charlie Angus has publicly called out the Conservatives on Bill C-32, calling for compromise on the copyright bill. Angus says the bill ignores the needs of consumers and is attack on artists. He indicates the NDP plans to bring forward amendments on artists’ royalties and to develop a […]
DMCA Criminal Trial Dropped on Fairness Grounds
A DMCA criminal prosecution against an Xbox modder has been dropped by the prosecution on “fairness and justice” grounds. The case was the first to test the criminal DMCA provisions as applied to game consoles.
The Bill C-32 Legislative Committee: My Opening Statement
Appearance before the Bill C-32 Legislative Committee, December 1, 2010
Good afternoon. My name is Michael Geist. I am a law professor at the University of Ottawa. As many of you know, I have been very active on copyright policy issues for many years. In 2007, I launched the Fair Copyright for Canada Facebook group that grew to over 92,000 members with local chapters across the country. Earlier this year, I edited “From Radical Extremism to Balanced Copyright: Canadian Copyright and the Digital Agendaâ€, the largest academic study on Bill C-32 to-date, with peer reviewed contributions from 20 leading Canadian experts.
That said, I appear before this committee today in a personal capacity representing only my own views.
While I am sometimes characterized as a copyright critic, the reality is that I am supportive of much of Bill C-32. When the bill was first tabled, I described it as flawed but fixable, with strong support for many of the compromises found in the legislation. That remains my view and I’m happy to talk about any aspect of the bill but want to focus my opening remarks on two issues – fair dealing and digital locks.
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