TOPIC

The Internet’s power to help communities of interest to coalesce is not always benign. The Internet age has empowered those who would sexually exploit children to trade images and videos of their crimes and to cause an apparent growth in the market for them. It has also enabled peddlers of hate propaganda to reach a wider audience. These characteristics of the Internet have led to an array of legislative amendments to the Criminal Code and the Canadian Human Rights Act; a growing body of case law; and responses from the Internet community ranging from lone vigilantism to voluntary filtering programmes by Internet Service Providers (ISP’s). In the face of ever heightening sensitivities to these issues, ISP’s find themselves legally responsible for the removal of certain content from their servers and facing increasing pressure to develop and to deploy new technologies to police the Internet. This panel will address the evolving law and policy regarding hate propaganda and child exploitation and point to the directions it should take for the future. The panel will draw on extensive research and collaboration by the Centre for Innovation Law and Policy through the Microsoft Safe Computing Program, generously sponsored by Microsoft Canada, and other research and presentations sponsored by B’nai Brith Canada.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Richard Owens
Blake, Cassels and Graydon LLP

Richard Owens is a Partner in the Information Technology, Privacy and Intellectual Property Groups. Before joining Blakes, Richard was the executive director of the Centre for Innovation Law and Policy at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Richard built his career in the Toronto office of another major Canadian law firm, practising corporate and commercial law and specialising in technology-related law and the regulation of financial services. He was the chair of that firm’s practice groups relating to information technology and intellectual property.

He is the recent past chair of the board of directors of the University of Toronto Innovations Foundation and a member of the Advisory Committee to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. He is a long-serving director of the International Technology Law Association, has led several of its committees and is its current university liaison. Richard has been repeatedly recognized as one of Canada’s leading technology lawyers. He has written and published widely on the law of information technology, privacy and the regulation of financial institutions. Richard has taught courses at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law on the law of information technology and electronic commerce, innovation law and policy, intellectual property and the law and policy of biotechnology.

Andrea Slane
Executive Director, Centre for Innovation Law and Policy, University of Toronto

Andrea Slane has been the Executive Director of the Centre for Innovation Law and Policy since September. Prior to joining the Centre for Innovation Law and Policy, she was an associate at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP in the intellectual property law department. Prior to joining Osler, she was a professor of literature and film.

COST FOR ATTENDANCE

Cost for lunch: ten dollars ($10) for members and students, twenty dollars ($20) for non-members, payable at the meeting. Receipts will be available. Cheques should be made payable to the Toronto Computer Lawyers’ Group.

REGISTRATION

REGISTER BEFORE 12:00 Noon, Thursday, December 7, 2006.

REGISTRATIONS WILL NOT BE CONFIRMED UNLESS THE LUNCH IS FULLY BOOKED.

Cancellations also accepted before 10:00 a.m., Friday, December 8, 2006. Substitutions are permitted anytime. Registrants who do not attend and do not cancel or send a substitute may be invoiced for lunch.

PLEASE E-MAIL REGISTRATIONS OR CANCELLATIONS TO: secretarytclg@hotmail.com

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS AND NEW MEMBERS

Renew your membership for 2006 -2007. The fee to join the TCLG for 2006-2007 is forty-five dollars ($45). Law students enrolled in full-time studies may join free of charge. Membership runs from September to August, and the TCLG meets monthly from September to May.

The membership form can be accessed through the following link: www.tclg.org

Please circulate this notice to business associates, clients, colleagues or others who may be interested in attending a meeting or joining the TCLG.