Adrian Scotchmer is the Editor-in-Chief of the Osgoode Hall Review of Law and Policy. 

The latest issue of the Osgoode Hall Review of Law and Policy may be of interest to readers of IP Osgoode as it concerns the recent Copyright Consultations held by the Minister of Industry and the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages. On July 20, 2009, the Minister of Industry and the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages launched a consultation process seeking Canadians’ views on the appropriate nature, extent, and scope of copyright reform. The Conservatives’ previous attempt at copyright reform, in the form of Bill C-61, encountered significant opposition but ultimately died on the order paper when an election was called. In an effort to improve on that bill and to respond to objections that the process underlying the introduction of Bill C-61 was insufficiently transparent, the government launched a consultation process. The public could participate in this process by making written submissions, participating in the online discussion forum, attending one of the public town halls in Montreal or Toronto, or by attending one of the invitation-only round tables.

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Adrian Scotchmer is the Editor-in-Chief of the Osgoode Hall Review of Law and Policy.

The latest issue of the Osgoode Hall Review of Law and Policy, released November 24, 2008, may be of interest to readers of IP Osgoode as it contains three papers regarding copyright law.

Recent debate with respect to copyright law has assumed a noticeably public character. Professor Michael Geist, Professor Lawrence Lessig, and even the Songwriters Association of Canada (SAC) are to be commended for using contemporary media to engage the general public in the debate about the appropriate scope and degree of enforcement of copyright, especially where the complexity of such issues might otherwise have prevented active public involvement. In particular, Professor Lawrence Lessig maintains a blog, Michael Geist makes use of a blog, a newspaper column, and a Facebook group, while the SAC advocates through its website. However, the potential danger with this approach is that effective popular writing may require that one oversimplify complex matters, eschew nuance and engage in hyperbole.  A more rigorous, properly footnoted and methodological approach may be more accurate, albeit less appealing to the general public.  In this issue, the Review aims to move the discourse about copyright matters from general public engagement to academic debate.

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Posted in Copyright, copyright reform, General
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