The Author:
James Gannon is a lawyer at the firm McCarthy Tétrault. The views expressed here are his own.
Category Archives: 2010 Copyright Bill
Links to Bill C-32 Parliamentary Committee Hearings
Posted by on December 8, 2010
In the next few months, I’ll be updating the right side-bar of my blog with links to the English transcripts of the Bil C-32 Parliamentary Committee hearings. While the official transcripts might take a week or so to appear on the House of Commons website, the audio recordings of the hearings are usually available right [...]
Daniel Glover’s copyright reform presentation from 7th Annual Telecommunications Forum
Posted by on November 11, 2010
Earlier this week, my colleague Daniel Glover presented at the 7th Annual Telecommunications Forum on the topic of Canadian copyright reform. His slides below do an excellent job at reviewing the recent history of copyright law in Canada and comparing the recent reform processes in Canada and the UK.
TPMs: A comprehensive guide for Canadian copyright law
Posted by on November 9, 2010
Based on last week’s debate in the House of Commons, it appears as though one of the more contentious elements of Bill C-32, the Copyright Amendment Act, are the provision pertaining to digital locks, or technological protection measures (“TPMs”) as they’re called in the Bill. Although I earlier pointed to many errors the NPD critic made with [...]
Timmins Daily Press Op-Ed
Posted by on November 5, 2010
The Timmins Daily Press is printing an elaborated version of my post from last week on Charlie Angus’ C-32 Blunder, titled “Politicians should read laws before they vote on them”.
Bill C-32 TPM Provisions: What Do the WIPO Treaties Require?
Posted by on November 3, 2010
Yesterday, the House of Commons debated Bill C-32, the Copyright Amendment Act. One aspect of the Bill that was brought up by members of Parliament for every party was the legal protection for digital locks (or “TPMs” as they’re called in the Bill) pursuant to Canada’s obligations under the WIPO Internet Treaties. A statement from [...]
Charlie Angus’ C-32 Blunder
Posted by on October 26, 2010
Last Friday, Canadian MP Charlie Angus, NDP critic for “Digital Issues”, brought forth a petition in the House of Commons. The petition decried what Angus referred to as “the sacrosanct protection for digital locks”. He later elaborated on his stance regarding digital locks by noting: For example, the present government’s plan with digital locks would actually lock [...]
Protecting Protection is Nothing New
Posted by on October 13, 2010
IPOsgoode has posted an article I wrote titled “Protecting Protection is Nothing New”. In the article, I compare Bill C-32′s anti-circumvention provisions to other Canadian laws aimed at safeguarding protection technologies.
The full picture on Michael Geist’s “facts” about Canadian copyright
Posted by on September 27, 2010
On his blog last week, Michael Geist speculates about a trip by a Canadian music industry group to the U.S. which was designed, in his words, to “embarass [Canada] into changing its laws”. He then lists a number of “facts” that he is “guessing that the discussion did not focus on” at a number of [...]
Toronto Star article on art, culture, TPMs and Bill C-32
Posted by on September 4, 2010
Yesterday, the Toronto Star published an opinion piece that I wrote titled “Bill C-32, copyright and digital locks”. The piece makes the argument that opposition to protection for TPMs is generally rooted in a view that any restrictions on the use a consumers can make of goods that they purchased is an indefensible affront to [...]
Maia Davies Speaks Out on Copyright Reform
Posted by on August 13, 2010
Maia Davies, of the Montreal band Ladies of the Canyon, has a great op-ed piece in the Montreal Gazette today: As artists, we are nothing but grateful and thankful for the chance to do for a living what motivates our entire beings. It is a passion that we are only too glad to share. But [...]
