The Author:
James Gannon is a lawyer at the firm McCarthy Tétrault. The views expressed here are his own.
Tag Archives: tpm
Why the “digital lock” rules in Bill C-11 will not have any impact on fair dealing in the education community
Posted by on December 12, 2011
Technological protection measures (or “TPMs”) are technologies that protect digital media and control how consumers can use digital products that they purchase. For instance, when you buy e-books from Kobo’s online book store, a TPM controls how that e-book can be copied. The TPM allows you to make copies of the e-book between devices that [...]
5 Steps to Understanding Bill C-11 and “Digital Locks”
Posted by on November 2, 2011
Let’s clear up some of the confusion about copyright law and “digital locks”. If you’ve been reading the press lately on the federal government’s latest attempt to reform Canadian copyright law, then it’s likely you’ve read about the government’s proposed legal protection for “digital locks”. And if you’ve been wondering exactly what a “digital lock” [...]
Bill C-11, Digital Locks and TPMs: A comprehensive guide for Canadian copyright law
Posted by on September 30, 2011
Once again, it seems that the issue of TPMs (or “digital locks”) has become one of the main focus point of the new copyright bill, Bill C-11. And, once again, the reporting on the TPM provisions of Bill C-11, which like the remainder of the Bill remains unchanged from last year’s Bill C-32, is replete [...]
University of Toronto Presentation on TPMs and DRM
Posted by on March 2, 2011
I was delighted to be welcomed back to the University of Toronto Law School’s Technology and Intellectual Property Group conference this year. My presentation dealt with legal protection for technological protection measures (TPMs) and Bill C-32. Below are my slides from the presentation:
Sony moves to quickly restrain PS3 circumvention device
Posted by on January 12, 2011
One of the most successful copy-protection technologies in use today is that which is used in Sony’s PlayStation 3 video game console. Although many often attempt to depict TPM technologies as ineffective, in over four years since the launch of the PS3, no effective mod chip, hack or other circumvention device has surfaced among the [...]
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.
