NDP MP Charlie Angus has issued a press release calling on Industry Minister Jim Prentice to abide by the government's commitment to table international treaties in the House of Commons before introducing ratifying legislation by tabling the WIPO Internet treaties before introducing copyright reform legislation. Last week, the Conservatives unveiled […]
Fair Dealing by Giulia Forsythe (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/dRkXwP
Copyright
Angus Calls for WIPO Debate Before Copyright Bill
NDP MP Charlie Angus has issued a press release calling on Industry Minister Jim Prentice to abide by the government's commitment to table international treaties in the House of Commons before introducing ratifying legislation by tabling the WIPO Internet treaties before introducing copyright reform legislation. Last week, the Conservatives unveiled […]
ISPs Face New Role in Network Control
My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, Ottawa Citizen version, BBC version, homepage version) focuses on the failure of the DRM, content-locking strategy and the move toward locking down the Internet. I note that this approach envisions requiring Internet service providers to install filtering and content monitoring technologies within their networks. ISPs would then become private network police, actively monitoring for content that might infringe copyright and stopping it from reaching subscribers' computers.
The support for locking down the Internet revives an old debate – the appropriate role and responsibility of ISPs for the activities that take place on their networks.
Doctorow on Commercial vs. Cultural Uses
Cory Doctorow's latest Guardian column focuses on the need to distinguish between commercial and cultural uses in copyright law.
The Canadian DMCA: A Summary To-Date
As the likelihood of the introduction of a Canadian DMCA increases, I've received a large number of requests for a brief summary the issue and the mounting concerns. This is not easy given copyright's complexity, but it is important to ensure that more Canadians better understand the issue.
My short version would be that there is concern with what the bill is likely to contain (modeled after the U.S. DMCA which has had a negative effect on innovation, privacy, education, and research), what it is unlikely to contain (nothing on fair dealing, time shifting, device shifting, the private copying levy), and how it came about (no public consultation, strong-armed pressure from the U.S.). As for what reforms we should have, I think my eight Fair Copyright for Canada principles are balanced and meet the goal of complying with the WIPO treaties.
For those that want to dive a bit deeper, I'd recommend the following five posts:
- My Fair Copyright for Canada Principles
- CBC's Search Engine on Copyright Questions for Prentice
- Ten Questions for Prentice
- The Canadian DMCA's Talking Points
- Why Canadian Copyright Is Stronger Than The U.S.
Want to get involved? Here is my list of 30 things you can do, which includes joining the national Fair Copyright for Canada Facebook group and a local chapter. Copyright for Canadians has even more comprehensive list.
Want to dig even deeper?
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