The Contrarians ran a good program on copyright today (I was among the guests interviewed). You can catch it again on Wednesday at 7:30 pm. Update: An MP3 version of the program is now online.
Articles by: Michael Geist
Canadian Libel Law Raises Net Free Speech Chill
My weekly Law Bytes column (Toronto Star version, BBC international version, homepage version) places the spotlight on this week’s fundraiser in support of P2Pnet.net, a British Columbia-based website that is being sued for defamation for comments posted on the site by its readers. The importance of the Internet intermediary liabilty issue extends well beyond just Internet service providers – corporate websites that allow for user feedback, education websites featuring chatrooms, or even individual bloggers who permit comments face the prospect of demands to remove content that is alleged to violate the law.
The difficult question is not whether these sites and services have the right to voluntarily remove offending content if they so choose – no one doubts that they do – but rather whether sites can be compelled to remove allegedly unlawful or infringing content under threat of potential legal liability. The answer is not as straightforward as one might expect since Canadian law varies depending on the type of content or the nature of the allegations.
Canadian Libel Law Raises Net Free Speech Chill
Appeared in the Toronto Star on July 31, 2006 as Libel Case Key For Internet Free Speech The Rivoli, a well-known Toronto club, may seem like an unusual venue to consider Internet free speech. Yet later this week, it will play host to a fundraiser in support of P2Pnet.net, a […]
The CBC and DRM
Inside the CBC, a new blog on the CBC, contains a discouraging post on the CBC Radio's Internet streaming activities. The posting includes background information on why the CBC streams with Windows media, explaining that it met the CBC's four requirements, including the availability of digital rights management technologies. The posting has led to a robust discussion with several critics sounding off on the pro-DRM approach and raises questions about why the CBC has not instead used OGG or MP3 as a more open format. Tod Maffin, who runs the blog, defends the CBC's use of DRM, arguing that DRM is required under its commercial music broadcast licenses and that the CBC invites lawsuits if it fails to adequately protect its streams.
While I'm a big fan of CBC's streaming services, the suggestion that CBC must use DRM is plainly wrong.
CIRA Seeking Additional Board Candidates
The CIRA electoral process continues to unfold with members now able to nominate additional candidates for the September election. After six years on the board, my time on the CIRA board will be coming to an end but I’d encourage anyone with an interest in domain name issues to get […]
Recent Posts
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 231: Sara Bannerman on How Canadian Political Parties Maximize Voter Data Collection and Minimize Privacy Safeguards 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 230: Aengus Bridgman on the 2025 Federal Election, Social Media Platforms, and Misinformation 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 229: My Digital Access Day Keynote – Assessing the Canadian Digital Policy Record 
Queen’s University Trustees Reject Divestment Efforts Emphasizing the Importance of Institutional Neutrality 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 228: Kumanan Wilson on Why Canadian Health Data Requires Stronger Privacy Protection in the Trump Era
