Must Reads

• TPP Fair Use Proposal Leaks Raising Concerns About New Restrictions

  KEI has posted a leaked version of the U.S. fair use proposal for the Trans Pacific Partnership. The leak raises significant concerns about the language that may create new restrictions. It also highlights a divide among TPP countries (Canada has yet to participate in the negotiations) with Australia supporting the U.S. position but opposition emerging from many other participants, who oppose the U.S. language and support exceptions for anti-circumvention rules. Aug.07/12Comments (1)

• French Culture Minister Says Three Strikes Law Disproportionate

  France's new culture minister has sent a strong signal that HADOPI, the agency responsible for administering the country's three strikes and you're out law, has been a failure. Aurelie Filippetti says she plans to slash funding for HADOPI, noting that it has failed to develop legal alternatives and that suspension of Internet access is a disproportionate punishment. Aug.07/12Comments (0)

• Copyright Board Begins to Life After Supreme Court Rulings

  Barry Sookman reports that the Copyright Board of Canada has issued an order to parties in the satellite radio services case to address the implications of the recent Supreme Court of Canada copyright decisions. It notes that "given the reasons of the majority in Alberta (Education) v. Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright), 2012 SCC 37, the Board's analysis of fair dealing in the satellite radio services market may need to be reviewed." Jul.23/12Comments (3)

• USTR Launches Consultation on Canada's Entry to TPP

  The USTR has launched a public consultation on Canada's proposed entry to the Trans Pacific Partnership talks.The deadline for comments is September 4, 2012. A hearing is scheduled for September 24, 2012. Jul.23/12Comments (0)

• Canada Excluded From Next Round of TPP Negotiations

  When the U.S. invited Canada to join the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations last month, there was an agreed upon delay to allow it to complete a domestic approval process. As part of that delay, Canada was to be excluded from the negotiations during the approval period and bound by any substantive agreements reached during those talks. While most assumed that would only cover the just-completed San Diego round of discussions, it turns out that Canada will be excluded from the next round of negotiations as well. The USTR sent the formal letter to include Canada in the TPP to Congress on July 10, 2012. Last week, it also announced that the next round of negotiations will take place in early September in Virginia. Given the 90-day waiting period from the date of the USTR letter, Canada will also be excluded from this round of negotiations and will have to wait until December to formally participate in the talks. Jul.16/12Comments (18)

• UK Government To Mandate Open Access By 2014

  The UK government is set to announce that all research funded by the government will be mandated as open access by 2014, ensuring that all taxpayer funded research will be freely available to anyone anywhere in the world. Jul.16/12Comments (1)

• UK MEP Calls for Revision of CETA to Remove ACTA Provisions

  Nigel Farage, a UK Member of the European Parliament, has tabled a question to the European Commission that asks if it "will undertake a revision of the EU-Canada deal to remove all proposals similar to ACTA."  Farage says that CETA should be thoroughly revised to remove anything that would implement ACTA through the back door. Jul.12/12Comments (0)

• Mexico Signs ACTA Amid Speculation It Was Price of TPP Admission

  Despite a Mexican Senate recommendation not to do so, Mexico unexpectedly signed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement yesterday. There is some speculation that signing the agreement was a U.S. condition for joining the Trans Pacific Partnership talks. The Mexican Senate must still ratify the agreement for it to take effect. Jul.12/12Comments (2)

• The Magnotta Case and Online Surveillance

  The CBC reports that it obtained documents under the Access to Information Act in which the government tries to justify statements from Public Safety Minister Vic Toews that Bill C-30, the online surveillance bill, would have assisted with the Luka Magnotta investigation. I appeared on CBC's Power and Politics to challenge the claims. Jul.12/12Comments (2)

• Access Copyright: 40 Percent Of Non-Quebec University Students Outside Model Licence

  Access Copyright's Executive Director Maureen Cavan tells University Affairs magazine that 40 percent of university students outside of Quebec are currently at institutions that have not signed the Access Copyright model licence. Carleton University, which opted-out of the licence last year, reports that "roughly 80 percent of requests to use copyrighted material were already covered under licences that Carleton held. For the remainder, Carleton either got a digital copy under licence or dealt directly with the publisher or a U.S. copyright clearance agency." Jul.10/12Comments (1)