Screencast, a UK consulting firm, concludes: It is easy to point the finger at piracy but factors like the gradual erosion of music dedicated shelf space in big retailers like HMV and Virgin and its replacement with DVD's, book, games and mobile phones cannot be ignored. Seen in this light […]
Articles by: Michael Geist
CRTC Asked To Order Hate Sites Blocked
Lawyers for Richard Warman, Canada's leading online hate fighter, have filed an application with the CRTC requesting that it issue an order enabling carrier ISPs to block two foreign hate sites that have issued death threats against Mr. Warman. One of the sites – a blog hosted on blogspot – […]
Canadian Soldier Ordered to Stop Blogging
Rob points out that a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan has been ordered to stop blogging.
Steal This Film
Cory brings attention to a new Swedish documentary titled Steal This Film!. The documentary is well worth downloading since it provides a powerful illustration of the pressure that the U.S. exerts on other countries on copyright policy. Further, the film demonstrates that Sweden's political parties have begun to recognize that […]
30 Days of DRM – Day 05: DRM Labelling and Consumer Awareness (Public Protection)
For many consumers, these DRM products are simply not fit for purpose – they often won't play on your DVD player, on your iPod, or permit usage that most would expect is permissible. Moreover, consumers frequently can't obtain a refund for their purchases as many retailers won't accept returns on opened CDs and DVDs and digital download services do not offer refunds to disgruntled downloaders.
The federal government might argue that this is provincial problem, since consumer protection issues typically fall under provincial jurisdiction. The reality, however, is that the federal government can and should play its part to address the issue.