Category / Law and ethics

NewsDatabases compiled by newspapers and other publishers cannot reproduce freelance work without the agreement of writers, photographers and illustrators, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in October 2006. It is a partial…

NewsAn Alberta judge has refused to force the CBC to disclose documents that would identify confidential sources to Edmonton’s former chief of police, who’s suing the network for defamation over a televised…

BackgrounderSection 2(b) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects “freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication.” A primer on how the…

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…

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.

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…

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