Posts Tagged ‘copyright reform’

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Minister Moore’s Speech on C-32

June 23rd, 2010

Heritage Minister Moore gave a speech yesterday at a meeting of the The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). His focus was on Bill c-32, the Copyright Modernization Act. He made a number of important remarks about the goals behind the Bill. He also used the occasion to comment on some of the Bill’s main critics Here are some highlights of his speech.

Minister Moore stressed the contribution that the copyright industries make to Canada’s economy noting that they “cannot be underestimated, both in terms of stimulating investment and creating jobs”.

This is a preview of Minister Moore’s Speech on C-32. Read full post.

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Posted in ACTA, Piracy, TPMs, WIPO Treaties, c-32, copyright reform, p2p piracy, wct, wppt

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Legends and reality about the 1996 WIPO Treaties in the light of certain comments on Bill C-32

June 17th, 2010

I.  INTRODUCTION

It was at a copyright seminar abroad that I learned about the publication of Bill C-32 by which the Canadian government intends to adapt the copyright legislation to the digital on-line environment. By the time I arrived home, some of my European colleagues, with whom we usually exchange information, had sent me the links to various blog posts that were trying to offer a first assessment of the new Bill. Some of them contained objective analysis pointing out both the commendable elements of the draft provisions and those where further improvements were found desirable, while others seemed to reflect continued opposition to the government’s intention to modernize the copyright norms the way required by the international treaties and the emerging international standards. 

This is a preview of Legends and reality about the 1996 WIPO Treaties in the light of certain comments on Bill C-32. Read full post.

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Posted in Copyright, Piracy, TPMs, WIPO Treaties, c-32, copyright reform, intellectual property, p2p piracy, wct, wppt

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Some thoughts on Bill-C-32: An Act to Modernize Canada’s copyright laws

June 3rd, 2010

At long last we have the Government’s proposed copyright amendments: Bill, C-32 the Copyright Modernization Act. The new Bill aims to address gaps in the current Copyright Act created by the Internet and other digital technologies in line with international standards.

This Bill is substantially different from its predecessors Bills C-60 and C-61 and reflects new thinking by the Government on how best to modernize the Act. While the Bill is an advancement over previous attempts at copyright reform, it will require amendments to ensure it accomplishes the goals set out by the Government and does not introduce unintended consequences.

This is a preview of Some thoughts on Bill-C-32: An Act to Modernize Canada’s copyright laws. Read full post.

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Posted in Copyright, Fair Dealing, TPMs, WIPO Treaties, c-32, copyright reform, p2p piracy

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Copyright and the Great Socialist Degradation

May 19th, 2010

Andrei Mincov, a recent law school graduate from Vancouver (who also holds a PhD in law from Moscow State University), published a blog Copyright and the Great Socialist Degradation in which he explores the basis for protecting works under copyright.

Mr Mincov points to a link between society’s views about copyright and its views about how society is organized at the political level. In his view, copyright policy should based upon a recognition of individual rights and the dignity of the individual.

Mr Mincov also makes some observations about the underlying philosophical/political views of those that oppose copyright laws that would enable individuals to determine for themselves how, when and where their intellectual proterty can be disseminated.   

This is a preview of Copyright and the Great Socialist Degradation. Read full post.

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Posted in Copyright, copyright reform

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“A robust ­copyright regime would ­permit market ­forces to operate properly”

May 11th, 2010

Anti-copyright advocates often argue that protecting copyright is about protecting “old business models”.  The subtext is that property rights and market forces are “old school”. The “new business models” are giving things away, or letting them be taken for free, and having to compete with your own property to stay in business. 

Danielle Parr takes a swipe at this “free culture” creed in her op-ed today in the National Post, Time to tackle video-game piracy. She argues forcefully that digital piracy undermines markets, jobs, and consumer choice and that a robust copyright regime is necessary to enable markets to operate properly.

This is a preview of “A robust ­copyright regime would ­permit market ­forces to operate properly”. Read full post.

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Posted in Copyright, copyright reform

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Geist: “STFU until you see the bill”

May 10th, 2010

On Friday Prof. Geist again proclaimed that he is receiving private information about what the new copyright bill is going to look like. Moore’s Response: Stop Talking and Wait For My DMCA. From what he has been writing the bill will contain WIPO compliant provisions related to the protection of technological measures. It will also contain new exceptions for users that will permit time shifting, format shifting, and distance learning.

His private sources appear to be telling him not just what is in the bill, but also the government’s confidential strategy as to how it intends to present the bill to the public. Prof. Geist wrote:

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Posted in Copyright, WIPO Treaties, copyright reform

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Canada’s new copyright bill: what will it look like?

May 6th, 2010

The media is reporting on what Canada’s new copyright bill will contain. This speculation was instigated by a blog posted yesterday by Prof. Geist in which he claimed to know what is in the bill. PMO Issues The Order: Canadian DMCA Bill Within Six Weeks.

Prof. Geist repeated his claim in press interviews which were published by the CBC,  National Post, Globe, and other publications.

Prof. Geist claims that he knows that the new yet to be introduced bill will mimic Bill c-61 and is reported in the National Post also to claim that it is so bad that, among other things, it would actually “do away with the notion of fair dealing” in Canada.

This is a preview of Canada’s new copyright bill: what will it look like?. Read full post.

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Posted in Copyright, Fair Dealing, copyright reform

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Canada again named to USTR’s Priority Watch List for weak IP laws

April 30th, 2010

The USTR just released its 2010 Special 301 Report. Canada has again been placed on the Priority Watch List along with Algeria, Argentina, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, and Venezuela.

In placing Canada on this list, the USTR stated the following: 

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Posted in Copyright, Counterfeiting, Piracy, WIPO Treaties, copyright reform, intellectual property

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Canada called out for weak copyright laws by IFPI and at the Heritage Committee

April 30th, 2010

Digital piracy remains one of the biggest obstacles for the recording industry. It is an especially significant problem here in Canada. A major contributor is weak copyright protection which limits the development of new business models for music in Canada. These are the conclusions of the IFPI which just published a report setting out a comprehensive picture of the key trends in today’s music business including key trends in Canada. It is also the opinion of representatives of the recording industry who appeared before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage last week.

This is a preview of Canada called out for weak copyright laws by IFPI and at the Heritage Committee. Read full post.

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Posted in Copyright, Graduated Response, Piracy, Three Strikes, WIPO Treaties, copyright reform

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The Owens analysis of the Canadian copyright consultations: what are the implications?

April 21st, 2010

Earlier this week, Richard Owens, the past chair of the board of directors of the University of Toronto Innovations Foundation, a member of the board and former Executive Director of the Centre for Innovation and Policy at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, and an adjunct professor of copyright and technology law at the University of Toronto, published a critical analysis of last summer’s copyright consultation. In his paper, Noises Heard: Canada’s Recent Online Copyright Consultation Process: Teachings and Cautions, he concluded that the consultation “was systematically abused by a clandestine group of mod-chip distributors, foreign websites administrators and international BitTorrent users”.  His focus was on the form letter wizard made available by the Canadian Coalition for Electronic Rights (CCER), a group whose very businesses depends on the ability to make illegal copies of software and to circumvent technological measures.

This is a preview of The Owens analysis of the Canadian copyright consultations: what are the implications?. Read full post.

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Posted in Copyright, Fair Dealing, Piracy, TPMs, Three Strikes, WIPO Treaties, copyright reform

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