Fordham - 15th Annual Conference - some of the Canadian Content

The 15th Annual Fordham IP conference has just taken place in New York City, where pirate DVD’s are almost as easy to buy as in Beijing - according to Sir Hugh Laddie. It was a great event - and more to come.

For observers of Canada, here are my two papers.

The first was Online Music 2007, where I talked about Canadian developments dealing with online music and the elephant in the room called “private copying levies”. I also talk about the global situation and call for a drastic lowering of prices in order to achieve a far greater resulting increase in demand and consumption for paid and authorized downloads.

The second was called RECENT COPYRIGHT ACTIVITY AND INACTIVITY IN CANADA. I discuss the major case law and political events of the last year or so and some scenarios regarding the expected new bill. I also mention the Captain Copyright affair and how Access Copyright responded relatively quickly and well to criticism that was recognized as valid, unlike certain other associations that cannot admit they ever were or could be fallible - for example by suing 12 year old children.

Justice Roger Hughes of the Federal Court of Canada talked about extraterritoriality, and provided a paper for the materials entitled Jurisdiction of the State Respecting the Incorporeal by his law clerk, Ms. Caterina Chiocchio. Justice Hughes also spoke about the next ten years in patent law.


HK