Professor Cameron Hutchison's new book, Digital Copyright Law, is a comprehensive treatment of this fast-developing area of Canadian law. The book assesses the developing law against an interpretive methodology that seeks to rationalize rights, and brings coherence to the Copyright Act, in the face of challenging digital facts. Included in this methodology is a detailed analysis of the meaning and applicability of the principle of technological neutrality. The book also examines the recent digital amendments to the Act in depth - including separate chapters on technological protection measures (digital locks) and the treatment of Internet intermediaries. Detailed consideration is given to developing caselaw on key issues such as the right to copy, the right to communicate a work to the public by telecommunication, the application of fair dealing rules in the digital sphere, and the use of Norwich orders to identify Internet infringers. Other issues not yet addressed in the law, such as the applicability of exhaustion rules to digital goods, and private international law rules for ubiquitous infringement, are also discussed.
Dr. Cameron Hutchison's current research interests are in the areas of digital copyright and statutory interpretation. He is also a co-editor of Canadian Intellectual Property Law, published by Emond Montgomery. Professor Hutchison has taught at law schools in Australia, Japan and China, and currently teaches the following courses at the University of Alberta: intellectual property, musicians and the law (advanced copyright), and statutory interpretation.