Access Copyright pulls no punches in its description of Bill C-32 in its submission on the national digital economy strategy: Copyright laws need to give creators and consumers the tools they need to engage with trust and confidence in the digital marketplace. A copyright framework that is principles based, flexible […]
Archive for July, 2010
Canadian Publishers Council: Evidentiary Burden Too High in Copyright Cases
The Canadian Publishers Council has delivered its submission on the national digital economy strategy, expressing concern that privacy rules could make it difficult to target alleged infringers. The CPC warns: privacy protections should not be utilized in ways that preclude rights holders, domestic or international, from identifying consumers who are […]
Ole Calls for ISP Monitoring of Customer Content
Ole, a Canadian music publishing firm, has called on the Canadian government to establish a ISP monitoring system of content viewed by subscribers. Saying that ISPs should mimic cable/TV, it argues that ISPs could track content and pay rights holders for what is viewed. The word "privacy" does not appear […]
Battle Lines Drawn on ACTA: EU Commissioner Says Scope is “Red Line” for Treaty
There were two ACTA events yesterday that provided the U.S. and European perspectives on latest round and future developments. EC Commissioner Karel de Gucht appeared before a European Parliament committee and provided some details on the most recent round along some pointed criticism of the U.S. position on some key issues. Some of the key points raised during de Gucht's appearance:
- The EU language on Internet may serve as compromise on that chapter
- On border issues, consensus may only reachable on basis of the "lowest common denominator"
- The U.S. position on ACTA transparency is "counter-productive"
- de Gucht believes India and Brazil are using ACTA to score political points on the generic medicines issue
- Inclusion of designs and geographic indications in ACTA is a "red line" issue. If they are not included, the EU must question the benefit of the agreement. De Gucht argues the U.S. is using trademarks for same purpose as geographic indications and it is "hypocrisy" to exclude from the agreement. He emphasized the EU "cannot swallow this" and that this will be a major point of discussion at the next round of talks.
- Next round of talks will be held in July in Washington. At least two more rounds are required rest of the year. There is a fundamental split between negotiating parties on scope. He does not expect a breakthrough in the Washington round.
The Digital Economy Strategy Consultation: My Submission
Last night I submitted my response to the government’s digital economy strategy consultation. A text version is posted below. A PDF version can be downloaded here.
The submission touches on a wide range of issues, including general concerns such as who leads the strategy, who pays for it, and the value in identifying openness as a general principle. It then discusses specific concerns around infrastructure (broadband networks, net neutrality, digital television transition, foreign investment), capacity to innovate (spam, security breach disclosure, Privacy Act, lawful access), and digital content (copyright reform, open data, open access, digitization, domain names).
Update: The submission has now been posted on the consultation website.
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