The Letters of the Law

The Letters of the Law
by: Michael Geist

The past 12 months marked another remarkable year in law and technology featuring business developments, policy decisions, lawsuits, court rulings, and new legislation that will have a profound long-term impact on the Internet in Canada. From A to Z, there was rarely a dull moment in 2007.

A is for Access Copyright, the copyright collective that launched a $10 million lawsuit against Staples and the Business Depot over a decidedly old copying technology -- photocopiers.

B is for Breach notification, the much-needed regulation recommended by a House of Commons committee. If implemented, it would require organizations to publicly disclose instances when consumer personal information is placed at risk due to a security breach.

C is for Wayne Crookes, the B.C. businessman and former Green Party organizer who launched Internet libel lawsuits against some of the Internet's best known companies including Google, Yahoo!, and Wikimedia (and this columnist).

D is for the Do-Not-Call registry, which was revived by the CRTC with a flurry of new rules and a public call for a registry operator. Years after Canadian do-not-call legislation was first introduced, the registry is finally expected to begin operations in 2008.

E is for eBay, which was ordered by the Federal Court of Canada to disclose the identities of hundreds of Canadian Power Sellers to the Canada Revenue Agency. CRA suspects that some sellers may not be collecting the requisite sales taxes for their online sales.

F is for Facebook, the popular social media site that boasts eight million Canadian users. The site played a pivotal role in fostering a grassroots movement against U.S.-style copyright reforms.

Read the entire article here: http://thetyee.ca/Mediacheck/2007/12/25/ABCsOfTechLaw/