PaidContent reports that there have been 74 amendments proposed to the UK Digital Economy bill. These include requiring rights holders to "set out the value of the infringement", “appropriately balances the interest of rights holders and the interests of the public in due process, privacy, freedom of expression and other […]
Fair Dealing by Giulia Forsythe (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/dRkXwP
Copyright
“Slightly Divided We Stand”: The EU Ratification of the WIPO Treaties
The At last … the 1709 Copyright Blog points to the details of the EU ratification of the WIPO Internet treaties and the fact that a number of countries opted out of elements of those treaties by way of declaration.
Pollara Changes Its Tune On Music Downloading
Several years ago, Pollara was the lead polling company for CRIA and it regularly produced reports consistent with its client's view of the world. In fact, longtime readers may recall that it in March 2006, I posted on a Pollara study that contradicted CRIA's claims. Then Pollara President Duncan McKie (now President of the Canadian Independent Record Production Association) posted a response calling me impertinent and presumptuous, concluding "all the data that we have collected on this topic over the past 3 years point to a strong negative relationship between downloading and music purchases."
What a difference a few years (and a change in client) makes. CRIA and Pollara parted ways soon afterward and current Pollara Executive Vice-President Robert Hutton offers a decidedly different take on the issue. In this comment on Zeropaid, Hutton notes that relying on 2006 research is "dubious at best." Of course, it is 2006 Pollara data that served as the basis for the Conference Board of Canada's press release on file sharing last year. He then continues:
Canadian Writers Petition Against Google Book Search Settlement
Canadian writers have banded together to protest against the Google Book Search settlement. The signatories reject the settlement "in its entirety."
Ten Players Who Will Shape Tech Law and Policy in 2010
Predictions about future technology law and policy developments are always fraught with uncertainty, yet identifying the key players is a somewhat easier chore. Although Parliament is not scheduled to resume until March, my weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) tracks ten who are likely to lead the way in Canada in the coming year.
Tony Clement, federal Industry Minister. From anti-spam legislation to the national copyright consultation, Clement demonstrated a keen interest in technology issues during his first year as industry minister. 2010 should be no different, with privacy reform legislation, a new copyright bill, and rules for another wireless spectrum auction all on the agenda. To top it off, Clement has sent strong signals that he wants to forge ahead with a long-overdue national digital strategy.
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