Kindle lending

Kindle has announced upcoming functionality for the Kindle that will allow users to lend their books to others. The loan period will be 14 days and the book will be disabled on the home account while the loan is in effect.
While this seems like a nice little feature, it demonstrates an old-world mentality that emulates, rather than helping to overcome, the scarcity of books and reading materials.

Copyright: Characteristics of Canadian Reform

My chapter "Copyright: Characteristics of Canadian Reform" appears in Michael Geist's book, From "Radical Extremism" to "Balanced Copyright": Canadian Copyright and the Digital Agenda. The book will be launched October 14 at the University of Ottawa. The introduction to the book, by Michael Geist, is already available online.

My chapter, available here and in revised format in the Hill Times, places bill C-32 in the context of Canadian copyright history, arguing that Canadian copyright has traditionally focussed on copyright independence, safeguarding the interests of Canadian consumers as well as Canadian creators, finding innovative solutions to meet the needs of both consumers and creators, and support for international copyright and copyright multilateralism. It argues that the made-in-Canada elements of C-32 are relatively narrow compared to previous bills that asserted a made-in-Canada stance on the broader issue of anti-circumvention, and that C-32, while including innovative solutions for the benefit of specific interests such as the print disabled, internet service providers, and mash-up video creators, departs from the tradition of maintaining maximum independence and safeguarding consumer interests on the issue of anti-circumvention measures.

Update: my chapter is now available online here.
Update 2: my Op-ed based on the chapter has been published in the Hill Times (to subscribers/for purchase).