Monthly Archives: June 2014

Copyright protections trump oil pipeline

Posted on June 28, 2014 by Robert Basil

Cantech News explains an Alberta land-owner’s ingenious use of copyright law: Alberta artist Peter van Tiesenhausen has provided an interesting legal precedent in his long-running battle with oil companies seeking to run a pipeline through his 800 acre territory. He … Continue reading →

Posted in Robert's posts | Tagged , | Leave a comment

“The Franklin Effect”

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Robert Basil

Benjamin Franklin wrote his autobiography, “Enemies who do you one favor will want to do more.” He illustrated the maxim with a story: A political adversary had been lambasting Franklin in public speeches. Franklin knew that this person was very proud … Continue reading →

Posted in Robert's posts | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Damned, lying lawyers

Posted on June 26, 2014 by Robert Basil

On Twitter recently I noted that, oddly enough, no word rhymes with doggerel. My friend Jonathan Mayhew tweeted back, “pettifogger hell, though it would rime with doggerel only in doggerel.” I had never even heard the word “pettifogger” before, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Robert's posts | Tagged | Leave a comment

Copyright protections trump new TV-streaming technology

Posted on June 26, 2014 by Robert Basil

This is good news, from my publisher’s point of view. From The Globe and Mail: Canadian content producers are breathing a sigh of relief after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that online streaming service Aereo Inc. violates U.S. copyright laws, … Continue reading →

Posted in Robert's posts | Tagged | Leave a comment