Year / 2006

BackgrounderKenneth Singer, a Vancouver media law specialist, reviews the limits on media access to court files.

CommentaryDo Canada’s privacy laws prevent the unauthorized use of celebrities’ names and images? The law is unclear, but lawyer and journalist Mitchell Flagg argues in this commentary that Canada’s courts should reject the American approach and deny celebrities a monopoly over how they are depicted in public.

AnalysisQuebec has some of the strongest privacy laws in the western world. CBC lawyer Marie-Philippe Bouchard examines two court rulings that punished Quebec media outlets for publishing photographs of individuals.

AnalysisVancouver lawyer Daniel Burnett reviews the law in four provinces with statutes that protect personal privacy.

AnalysisVancouver media lawyer David Sutherland explores how defamation law applies to the brave new world of the Internet.

FeatureHow do publication bans work and why are they imposed? CBC News Online tackles these and other questions about restrictions on media coverage of court cases. By John Bowman and Justin Thompson.

BackgrounderIn the simplest terms, “copyright” means “the right to copy.” Only the owner of copyright – usually the creator of the work – can produce or reproduce the work, or permit anyone else to do so. Copyright law rewards and protects your creative endeavour by giving you the sole right to publish or use your…

CommentaryCBC lawyer Daniel Henry makes the pitch for camera access to Canada’s courts.

This section contains information, advice and commentary on legal issues that affect how journalists do their jobs.

NewsYoung offenders handed an adult sentence for serious crimes not only lose the right to remain anonymous; they should expect pre-sentence and psychological reports filed with the courts to be made public. That’s the finding of a Nova Scotia youth court judge who in May 2006 ordered the release of exhibits tendered at the sentencing…