Canadian student groups speak out on copyright
Canada's two major post-secondary student groups have both filed their comments on the copyright consultation.
View ArticleAthabasca University issues public letter to students on copyright consultation
With three weeks left in the copyright consultation, Athabasca University President Frits Pannekoek has issued an open public letter to all students urging them to speak out in the consultation.
View ArticleHow does Canada's digital music market really stack up?
CRIA's Graham Henderson has posted an op-ed in the Georgia Straight in which he repeats many of his comments from an earlier copyright consultation roundtable.
View ArticleThe Toronto music industry town hall
Tonight the government held its second copyright town hall. Only it wasn't really a copyright townhall in the sense of bringing the community together to talk copyright in an open and balanced manner.
View ArticleBell: Why don't content owners sue our subscribers?
The government has just posted the audio from the Toronto copyright roundtable held in late August.
View ArticleThe missing copyright roundtable transcripts
The copyright consultation is days away from its conclusion and missing content from the consultation website has emerged as a problem.
View ArticleGovernment grants 48-hour extension for copyright submissions
The government has just announced that there is a 48 hour extension on submissions to the copyright consultation.
View Article(New) last day to submit to copyright consultation: More opinions posted
Today is the new last day to submit to the copyright consultation with the grace period expiring at midnight.
View ArticleU.S. Federal Communications Commission takes stand for Net neutrality
FCC Chair Julius Genachowski is delivering a speech this morning that takes a strong stand for a free and open Internet (the U.S. regulator has also launched OpenInternet.gov as a site to debate the...
View ArticleWhy Canada is about to fall further behind the U.S. on tech policy
The U.S. is heading toward greater openness, whether in the network or within government.
View ArticleCanadian Internet Registration Authority board elections open until September 30
I have been fairly critical of the Canadian Internet Registration Authority in recent months as I sense a discouraging drift away from its mandate of serving the broader public interest.
View ArticleYet another global study finds Canada lagging on broadband
Research teams from the Saí¯d Business School at the University of Oxford and the University of Oviedo’s Department of Applied Economics (supported by Cisco) have released a new study on global...
View ArticleCRTC calls for expanded copying for private use
The Government is still in the midst of posting copyright consultation submissions.
View ArticleISP-funded report finds Canadian broadband isn't awful
Consultants Mark Goldberg and Giganomics released a new report this week on the state of Canada's broadband infrastructure.
View ArticleAccess Copyright: Reduce fair dealing, no taping TV shows or format shifting
The Government continues to post copyright consultation submissions (still lots to go one month after the consultation concluded) with many making for interesting reading.
View ArticleCFTPA warns against targeting P2P in copyright reform
The Canadian Film and Television Production Association's copyright consultation submission warns against targeting P2P as part of copyright reform.
View ArticleFCC-commissioned study assesses why Canada lags on broadband
The Federal Communications Commission has just posted a comprehensive study it commissioned on broadband policies around the world.
View ArticleStudy finds Bill C-61 anti-circumvention provisions unconstitutional
A new academic article published in the Journal of Information Law and Technology by Professor Emir Aly Crowne-Mohammed and Yonatan Rozenszajn, both from the University of Windsor, concludes that the...
View ArticleWill the Liberals play the role of Opposition on lawful access?
While the Liberal party indicated late in the summer that it would more actively oppose the Conservative government, apparently that may not apply to Bill C-46 and C-47, the lawful access legislation.
View ArticleAnti-spam bill passes committee without copyright lobby spyware provision
Bill C-27, the anti-spam bill, passed through the Industry Committee late Monday with the bill largely intact.
View ArticleLiberals call for better Internet and wireless competition, Net neutrality
The Liberals have issued a noteworthy release calling for better competition and service for wireless and Internet services in Canada.
View ArticleGovernment responds to IP enforcement criticism, proposes changes
One of the longstanding demands from lobby groups seeking reforms to Canada's IP enforcement rules has been changes to the Proceeds of Crime Program.
View ArticleAuditor general wields Crown copyright to demand takedown
Crown copyright concerns were raised repeatedly during this summer's copyright consultation as many groups expressed the view that government works should be treated as public domain.
View ArticleWhy the lack of ACTA transparency is not standard
In the face of widespread criticism of the lack of ACTA transparency, participating governments and music industry lobbyists have claimed that the transparency issue is much ado about nothing.
View ArticleOECD confirms Canada among lowest sources of counterfeiting
The OECD has released new data on its global counterfeiting estimates, concluding that the share of counterfeit and pirated goods in world trade is estimated to have increased from 1.85% in 2000 to...
View ArticleOpposition mounts in Europe to three-strikes proposals for Internet access
Multiple reports today indicate that opposition is growing in Europe to plans for three-strikes policies that could lead to the termination of Internet access for some subscribers.
View ArticleFederal government introduces mandatory child porn reporting legislation
Bill C-58 creates a mandatory disclosure requirement on Internet providers where they become aware of child pornography websites or have reason to believe a subscriber is using their service to violate...
View ArticleisoHunt files new statement of claim against Canadian Recording Industry...
isoHunt, the Canadian-based Torrent search engine, has filed a follow-up statement of claim against the Canadian Recording Industry Association as it seeks a declaration that it is operating legally in...
View ArticleElectronic Commerce Protection Act passes House of Commons, moves to Senate
The Electronic Commerce Protection Act, Canada's anti-spam bill (Bill C-27) passed through the House of Commons yesterday as a motion to support sending the bill to the Senate received approval.
View ArticleSOCAN's secret copyright submission posted on-line
The government has now completed posting all the submissions it received during the copyright consultation.
View ArticleUniversity of Ottawa adopts commitment to open access
There is some exciting news at the University of Ottawa as it has become the first major Canadian research university to announce a comprehensive open access strategy.
View ArticleCanada to host ACTA meeting in 2010?
As public discussion and media coverage of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement continues to mount, it is worth considering whether Canada will play host to an ACTA meeting next year.
View ArticleFederal government overturns CRTC, giving Globalive the go-ahead
Industry Minister Tony Clement announced this morning that the Government has overturned the CRTC decision on Globalive, giving the go-ahead for the fourth national wireless carrier to enter the...
View ArticleMPAA: ACTA must include Internet provisions
MPAA Chair Dan Glickman appeared before a Congressional committee last week and left little doubt that ACTA is all about the Internet and copyright provisions.
View ArticleNetherlands lead BitTorrent rankings, but what does that really mean?
TorrentFreak recently published the Top 25 Most Popular Torrent Sites of 2009, which charts the most-trafficked public, English-language sites.
View ArticleFicsor attacks: WIPO treaty architect still fighting lost policy battle
CRIA lobbyist Barry Sookman's blog is home this week to a guest post from Mihály Ficsor, a well-known international copyright author who is the former Assistant Director General of WIPO.
View ArticleCanada and the WIPO treaties: Flexibility was always key
Yesterday I blogged about the origins of the WIPO Internet treaty, challenging Mihály Ficsor's claims that the treaty requires a ban on the distribution and manufacture of circumvention devices.
View ArticleAnti-spam, lawful access to die with Parliament prorogation
Reports this morning indicate that the government plans to prorogue Parliament, effectively shutting it down until March.
View ArticleCharlie Angus calls on Tony Clement to require Net neutrality checks
SaveOurNet.ca points to a letter written by NDP MP Charlie Angus to Industry Minister Tony Clement late last year on net neutrality.
View ArticleACTA confidentiality requirements revisited: Is the U.S. the key barrier?
After watching the Google DC debate on ACTA with its emphasis on the issue of transparency, it is worth revisiting the ACTA document spelling out confidentiality requirements among the negotiating...
View ArticleCanada leads U.S. in International Property Rights Index
The specific intellectual property rankings are also notable as they highlight the absurdity of the IIPA's ongoing campaign characterizing Canada as weak on IP.
View ArticleNDP MP Charlie Angus introduces private copying levy bill, flexible fair...
NDP MP Charlie Angus has shaken up the copyright reform process today with a pair of proposed measures.
View ArticleLiberals, Bloc, and NDP support motion to extend private copying levy
MPs from the Liberals, Bloc, and NDP today all supported a motion at the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage to extend the private copying levy to devices such as iPods.
View ArticleOfficial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement responses begin to mount
As public outrage over ACTA mounts, there have been a series of official responses to questions posed by legislators or raised through access to information requests.
View ArticleWriters' Union of Canada: Flexible fair dealing legalizes theft
The Charlie Angus fair dealing motion has stirred up considerable anger from the Writers' Union of Canada.
View ArticleFix fair dealing, say library, education, creator, and consumer groups
More than 25 library, education, creator, and consumer groups have issued a public letter calling on Industry Minister Tony Clement and Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore to adopt a flexible fair...
View ArticleEU demands Canada completely overhaul its intellectual property laws
The EU is effectively demanding that Canada surrender its sovereignty over intellectual property law and policy.
View ArticleTony Clement launches national digital economy strategy consultation
Industry Minister Tony Clement has launched a national digital economy strategy consultation.
View ArticleElectronic books and the Canadian DMCA
As devices such as the Kindle and iPad become increasingly popular, more and more people will purchase their books electronically with DRM included.
View ArticleThe false link between locks and levies
The Bill C-32 legislative committee meets for the first time tomorrow with hearings likely to begin later this week.
View Article
