Chapter 5
Deflating the Michelin Man: Protecting Users’ Rights in the Canadian Copyright Reform Process
Jane Bailey
The Canadian government’s proposal to extend further protection to technological protection measures (TPMs) raises serious constitutional concerns in terms of freedom of expression. The constitutionality of the currentCopyright Act is already legitimately subject to question. Expanding the Act’s incursion on freedom of expression by broadening its scope to prohibit circumvention of TPMs can only serve to heighten constitutional concerns. If the Act is to be amended to extend legislative protection to these private and non-transparent forms of censorship and surveillance, constitutional contouring will be necessary to ensure explicit protection of users' rights. Otherwise, the legislation risks trenching too deeply on rights of access to and use of information that are essential to a healthy and innovative expression marketplace. The Canadian government has the opportunity, and the obligation, to chart a course that compromises public commitments to freedom of expression in favour of the economic interests of copyright holders only insofar as is necessary to serve the public interest in a robust marketplace of ideas.
About the Author:
Jane Bailey is an assistant professor of law at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, Common Law Section. She obtained her B.A.S. with honours from Trent University, an M.I.R. and LL.B. from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and an LL.M. from the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on the impact of evolving technology and inter-jurisdictional pressures relating to copyright, online hate, and pornography on Canada’s commitments to equality, freedom of expression, privacy, and multiculturalism. Her TPM-related work includes “Chief Treasures of the World: What Happens When Law is Used to Protect the Technology that Protects Copyright” (presented together with Ian Kerr) at the 2004 ETHICOMP Conference in Syros, Greece, and “The Implications of Digital Rights Management for Privacy and Freedom of Expression” (2004) 1 Journal of Information, Communication & Ethics in Society (jointly authored with Ian Kerr).
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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Canada
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Canada
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