Digital lock provisions of Bill C-11 go far beyond WIPO standards
A series of upcoming government decisions in 2012 could dramatically change how Canadian consumers like you receive and enjoy media content. Bill C-11, an Act to amend the Copyright Act, will continue to be debated in Parliament and unless changes are made, consumers will soon lose many of the rights they have come to enjoy. […]
Fact, fiction, and falsehoods about the ‘F’ word in copyright law
OTTAWA—We must confront the ‘F word’ in copyright law. It is not a dirty word. To the contrary, the Supreme Court of Canada went to great lengths in its landmark 2004 CCH v. LSUC decision to clearly describe the meaning of this word in the context of what it called “users’ rights.” That case […]
Facing looming cuts, CBC remains focused on five-year plan
The CBC’s 75-year anniversary could be followed by a 10 per cent cut to public funding, but president and CEO Hubert Lacroix says it’s going ahead with its five-year plan to improve prime-time programming, to enhance regional services, to invest in digital content and services, and to invest in on-demand digital programming. The CBC […]
Industry minister touts Copyright Modernization Act as ‘key pillar’ of government’s digital economy strategy
Federal Industry Minister Christian Paradis says the government’s latest effort to modernize Canada’s copyright laws will encourage innovation and allow Canadian companies to compete in the global digital economy, but critics say that Bill C-11’s legal protection for digital locks criminalizes consumer freedom. The government reintroduced amendments to the Copyright Act last September after […]
Crafting copyright policy to create a Canadian competitive advantage
OTTAWA—For copyright watchers, New Year’s Day has become public domain day, the day when the term of copyright expires on thousands of works. While Europe celebrated the entry of James Joyce and Virginia Woolf into their public domain, Canadians noted that both authors’ copyright expired here in 1991. The term of copyright in Canada […]
Privacy commissioner Stoddart releases new guidelines for online advertising
In today’s digital economy, internet users can browse travel websites, book a plane ticket and then a few hours later have targeted ads for hotels, car rentals and entertainment options arrive in their email or show up in their web browsers. That’s called “online behavioural advertising,” and it’s done on a daily basis. But […]
Canadians get more than money’s worth with CBC
PARLIAMENT HILL— CBC: Have we gotten enough for our money? For more than 75 years, the CBC has matured with Canadians and has become representative of the soul of the people of Canada. The various awards that the CBC has received over the years are proof of the high-quality programming and reporting that have […]
Getting it backwards: the problem with Conservative government’s copyright reform
Access and remuneration. These are the two fundamental pillars for developing a credible copyright regime in the digital age. Longstanding business models have been turned inside out because of the ease with which consumers can access content. There is no putting the “genie back in the bottle.” Legislation must recognize this. But at the […]
Industry minister looks to future of Canada’s economy
As Industry Minister, Conservative MP Christian Paradis (Mégantic-L’Érable, Que.) is not only tasked with encouraging growth in Canada’s traditional industries, but also ensuring that Canada’s emerging digital industries are positioned to compete globally. In an email interview with The Hill Times, Minister Paradis, who previously served as minister of Natural Resources, says that the […]
Federal biotech regulation challenged by rapid innovation in life sciences
While the federal government maintains strong oversight over consumer products developed by the life sciences sector, industry leaders say the rapid advancement of biotechnological innovation requires reforms in the approval process and regulatory harmonization with foreign markets. Canada’s life sciences sector encompasses an array of sub-sectors that apply branches of chemistry, biology and engineering in […]
