dewline | Entries tagged with copyright

This report from Michael Geist might be of some help to you in your day-to-day work if you're a teacher. I'm not sure, as I am not a lawyer, but I am hopeful.

Current Mood: busy

I think we've had alarms raised by the Indigenous nations about this here on the settler-nations of Turtle Island, right? Michael Geist at the University of Ottawa notes some ongoing trouble between South Africa and the USA along similar lines.

https://www.michaelgeist.ca/?p=13769

Current Mood: busy
Current Location: Home

Canada Lands Company's legal reps just put their litigational foot in something rotten and smelly here. This is a place where pop culture and the law cross paths and swords, somewhat.

Does this mean that no one can watch Forever Knight, Rookie Blue, Flashpoint (the Toronto cop show), Coroner and the like anymore? Probably not, but the fallout's probably going to create problems anyway.

https://boingboing.net/2019/10/03/clcl-trademark-trolls.html

Current Mood: discontent

From iPolitics:

https://ipolitics.ca/2019/04/26/government-should-do-the-right-thing-and-end-crown-copyright/

I notice that the US federal government makes a point of not having similar practices re: documents and data they produce for the public's usage. In fact, the rule is: if the US government produced it for the public to see and use, it's public domain unless there's a damn good reason to do otherwise. Personally, the US approach to such things makes more sense to me.

But Canada is a smaller country, we have to make do with less in lots of ways, and this is part of it, too, I suppose...

Inspired by the Axanar arguments.

"Star Trek fans have always had a developed sense of ownership in the series and its elements. It is a core aspect of Star Trek, and one that Roddenberry himself constantly nurtured."

I fear this will not end well for anyone involved, if it continues in any of several ways threatened.

Also I consider this: it is now demonstrated as a matter of historical fact that CBS/Paramount cannot hope to meet the demand for product by its own devices. And that range of devices is considerable. That they wish to do so, that they wish to be able to do so, is also beyond dispute. But it's not practically possible.

Current Mood: worried

Still coughing, but less so than yesterday or last night. I still didn't get much sleep despite going to bed earlier than usual, though there were fewer interruptions last night. Maybe things will further improve tonight. Since I've promised to report for work in the morning, they'd better.

Meantime...I heard about Ta-Nehisi Coates writing a Black Panther story for Marvel. This should be Interesting. I've read his non-fiction stuff for The Atlantic, much of which has opened my eyes to many things. We'll come back to this later, I expect.

Odd note: Marvel's legal people seem to have decided "Registered Gifted" isn't a thing they want to protect anymore...? Like I said: it's odd. If you're building a cultural IP library the way Marvel's been doing for decades even before Disney's current role began, you don't take decisions like that as a rule.

About unemployment insurance in Canada: something I noticed today, for your reference. And on that note, I'll be turning on the TV to listen to Power and Politics. Rosemary Barton's taken the hosting reins from Evan Solomon rather well, thus far...

Current Mood: hopeful

Found the notice whilst job-hunting this morning. This is apparently new in Canadian intellectual property law:

http://www.cipo.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/wr03439.html

(Not sure that the mood icon should be smiling at any point in this instance...)

Current Mood: surprised

Opinions on this? Praise? Counter-arguments? Anyone?

http://thetyee.ca/Books/2012/10/20/Cory-Doctorow-Copyright/

Noticed this link today:

http://news.firedoglake.com/2012/01/05/media-organizations-build-blogger-intimidation-consortium/

Hoping the various news services don't come after me for making use of their RSS feeds here. I can't afford to pay, and I can't afford to fight.

On the other hand, David Dayen at the Fire Dog Lake news desk does make an interesting counter-suggestion:
"I’m wondering if any venture capitalists are interested in creating BlogRight, a monitoring service that scans the wire services and major papers for stories that they clearly ripped off from blogs without attribution or compensation, particularly those stories where the origins are described as “a blog first reported the news.” Considering the frequency with which this happens, and the possibility for major embarrassment among the media gatekeepers if that information were recognized widely, I would consider the BlogRight business model to be quite lucrative."

I do generate the occasional bit of original content here myself on occasion, in amidst all the fair use/fair dealing* linkages. While I haven't gotten much attention from professional news services here, there's no guarantee that will always be the case.

* - It depends on which side of the US-Canada border you're on as to which name and set of attached legal doctrine rules are in effect, I'm told. US = "fair use"; Canada = "Fair dealing". There is a difference in the details of the two doctrines.

For the Due South fans on my friendlist: the Northern Pikes in concert last year via YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuO4Fdq_J7Y

For those concerned about the rising costs of post-secondary education:

http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/5306/135/

Michael Geist on the latest in student fees re: copyright. This is the issue that made me wish that (a) Hayden Trenholm had been on the same side of the panel table as Marie Bilodeau and myself last month, regardless of my disagreement with him on this point, and that (b) Professor Geist had been able to attend Can-Con so as to sit on that same panel. We would have indeed gotten an informed debate on the subject.

How the heck does an internet access co-op based in Canada, operated by and for Canadians, get told they're not Canadian enough by the CRTC? Explanations courtesy of Iain Marlow of the Globe and Mail:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/red-tape-snarls-rural-internet-firm/article1710935/

Does this mean that OG-Wifi and National Capital FreeNet would hit the same wall?

Current Mood: busy

Day one was busy enough, and definitely fun. The panel discussion on manuscript preparation was as educational for me as for almost anyone else in the room, in fact.

I'll be there this afternoon for the "Copyright and Ownership in Speculative Literature" discussion with Marie Bilodeau and Farrell McGovern. 3 PM, TraveLodge Hotel on Carling, across from the Westgate mall.

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: "Barret's Privateers" - Stan Rogers

A couple of posts of concern, and a closing note of satirical linkage.

First the original note of concern from Michael Geist:

http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/2419/125/

A bit of linkage:

http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/2414/196/

And finally, the satirized replies of the Harper government, via Push the Third Button Twice:

http://pttbt.ca/2007/11/28/pm-blasts-critics-of-copyright-bill.html

Current Mood: worried
Current Music: Search Engine on CBC Radio One