Recent Articles

Ottawa Foregoes Bold Vision on Telecom

Michael Geist
March 22, 2012 07:26

After months of delay, Industry Minister Christian Paradis unveiled the government's telecom strategy last week, setting out the details of the forthcoming spectrum auction and tinkering with longstanding foreign ownership restrictions. Spectrum allocation and auctions, which focus on the...

Does Bill C-11 Create Barriers to Network PVRs and Cloud Services in Canada?

Michael Geist
March 21, 2012 04:24

Bill C-11 has passed the committee stage last week and now seems slated to become law before the summer. The Bill C-11 legislative committee recently posted the remaining committee submissions (C-32 submissions here, C-11 here), which confirm that the government rejected the intense efforts...

The Math Behind Copyright Math

Michael Geist
March 21, 2012 04:02

Rob Reid has posted further details on the numbers behind his $8 Billion iPod TED Talk.

Penske File No More? The Canadian Digital Economy Strategy Inches Forward

Michael Geist
March 20, 2012 04:08

The lack of progress on the Canadian digital economy strategy has been a source of frustration for many as the still-unreleased strategy has been largely missing in action. Late last year I dubbed it the government's Penske File, a reference to the Seinfeld episode involving a non-existent...

Halifax Police on Refusals to Provide Subscriber Data: None

Michael Geist
March 19, 2012 06:57

Among the government's primary justifications for its lawful access/online surveillance bill (Bill C-30) is that since Internet providers have not been required to disclose subscriber information during an investigation, their assistance is inconsistent. For example, the Public Safety...

Bill C-11: The Amended Version

Michael Geist
March 19, 2012 06:50

The new amended version of Bill C-11 has been posted along with the Bill C-11 legislative committee report.

Fair Dealing and the Effect on the Market

Michael Geist
March 19, 2012 06:49

Ariel Katz has a must-read post that comprehensively examines fair dealing/fair use tests, demonstrating that "effect on the market" is not the predominant factor in assessing whether a particular dealing is fair. There is also a good discussion in the comments and a follow-up post from...

Who Pays for Online Surveillance?: Police Recommended "Public Safety" Tax on Internet ...

Michael Geist
March 16, 2012 08:51

One of the major unanswered questions about Bill C-30, the lawful access/online surveillance bill, is who will pay for the costs associated with responding to law enforcement demands for subscriber information ("look ups") and installation of surveillance equipment ("hook ups"). Christopher...

Strong Majority in BC Oppose Lawful Access

Michael Geist
March 16, 2012 08:15

The Globe reports on a new BC poll that finds that a strong majority of provincial residents oppose Bill C-30. The report indicates 73% oppose the online surveillance bill and 55% strongly oppose it.

The $8 Billion iPod

Michael Geist
March 16, 2012 08:09

Great, great TED talk from Rob Reid on the funny numbers often promoted by music and movie lobby groups in the context of copyright.