Presentation Materials
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Presentation Materials
McCarthy Tétrault Advance™ Building Capabilities for Growth What Every Business Needs to Know About Technology Law September 20, 2012 McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 2 Tech and Public Procurement Catherine Samuel, David Crane, and Constance Ladell McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Unique Aspects of Telecom Deals ¬ Telecom networks are becoming increasingly critical to business success ¬ Regulated industry ¬ Mix of custom and commodity services in the marketplace ¬ Greater choice of providers ¬ Telecom-related technology and services are quickly involving and changing McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 3 Potential Pitfalls ¬ Procuring or signing up for services on an ad-hoc basis with new providers or for additional services with existing providers in a manner that can inadvertently result in: ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ staggered terms higher pricing incompatibility inefficiency ¬ Using telecom provider standard form contracts or not sufficiently negotiating provider standard terms ¬ Not negotiating sufficient flexibility to address change (in particular, changes to technology and customer business requirements) McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 4 Trends ¬ Develop a telecom plan ¬ take into account the current state of available telecom products and your needs at least five years down the line ¬ map the plan to anticipated business changes ¬ Contract for services on a consolidated basis (across the entire corporate group) to create additional negotiating leverage and obtain better pricing ¬ Use a competitive procurement process to select providers ¬ Select providers based on their ability to be a strategic partner ¬ Consider using a “qualifying bundle” approach for deals involving both tariffed and forborne services ¬ Contracting on a master agreement basis McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 5 Contracting Best Practices ¬ Telecom contracts best practices: ¬ a clearly defined scope of services ¬ service-quality levels and associated failed performance remedies to ensure performance standards ¬ specific flexibility mechanisms to allow for changes to the deal, so that you can take advantage of technological advances and react to changes in your business ¬ pricing protection provisions to provide cost certainty and ensure pricing remains competitive ¬ appropriate exit mechanisms McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 6 Beware of Provider Standard Form Contracts ¬ Some terms to watch for in provider contracts: ¬ Inappropriate residential consumer terms ¬ Deficient service descriptions and specifications ¬ Purchase/revenue and exclusivity commitments and related termination charges ¬ Unenforceable or weak service levels ¬ Sole remedy clauses ¬ Unfavourable billing and payment terms ¬ Compliance with provider acceptable use policies ¬ Overly broad force majeure clauses ¬ Insufficient confidentiality and security requirements ¬ Limitation of liability clauses that are overly favourable to the provider McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 7 8 Tech Deals – Trends & Tips ¬ Dual Track Negotiations ¬ Continuity of Resources ¬ Knowledge Transfer McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 9 Dual Track Negotations ¬ Create effective competitive tension to get better commercial and legal terms ¬ Especially important when purchasing sophisticated solutions/services ¬ Consider cost-time-benefit analysis in context of specific deal - dual track can be quicker ¬ Focus on getting the best from the supplier (not just the best price) ¬ Manage the process ¬ Multi-vendor environments: drafting tips McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 10 Continuity of Resources ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ Why this is important A Team / B Team (C Team…) Identify key people / period of commitment Include a cooling off period Put people responsible for managing the deal post-signing on the deal team ¬ Applies to both suppliers and customers ¬ Incentives to keep resources / remedies McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 11 Knowledge Transfer ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ Once deal is signed, everyone scatters People rarely read the contract Ensure project budget includes knowledge transfer Don’t lose the benefit of negotiated terms User guide / training: ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ contract summary (plain language) calendar of specific dates (buried) in the contract change orders unusual clauses ¬ Applies to all groups working with supplier or supporting business unit – ongoing support McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 12 Negotiated RFP • Flexibility and reduction in risk • Potential for increased value • Specify in bid documents that the intent is non-binding submissions and subsequent negotiations • Legal requirements (e.g. duty of fairness) still apply • Proponent representations can still be relied upon • Unless bid security (i.e deposit) is required, NRFP is used 13 Collaboration • Inter-jurisdictional collaborations successful • Two types – collaboration in the procurement process (e.g. GMS) and collaboration to ultimately co-operate gambling (e.g. Canadian Poker Network) • Relationship is established through MoU with ancillary agreements drafted for each instance of collaboration • Potential for enhanced RFX documents, evaluation, negotiation • External costs are shared 14 Trade Agreement Implications • Northwest Partnership Trade Agreement (formerly TILMA) – Thresholds – Exceptions – Agreement on Internal Trade – which prevails? – Impact of CITT decisions and other jurisprudence 15 Specifying Technology by Manufacturer • Can the technical requirements set out in an RFX document specify manufacturer, brand or trade-mark? • Arises in procurements for technology which involves integration or inter-operation with existing systems • Specific vs. generic description • AG vs. Enterasys Networks of Canada • Federal Court of Appeal held that specifying brand is acceptable if the procuring entity can demonstrate it is required to avoid an unacceptable operational risk 16 Outsourcing: Mock Negotiation Paul Armitage and David Crane McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Agenda 17 1. Service descriptions 8. Fees and economic model 2. Systems requirements 9. Risk transfer 3. Warranties 10. Term, termination and termination assistance 4. Acceptance testing and milestones 5. Dependencies 6. Service levels and related remedies 7. Market protections McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 11. Change management 12. Audit rights 13. Intellectual property 14. Subcontracting 15. Engagement management and dispute resolution Service descriptions • Description of the scope of the services to be provided by the service provider • An RFP process can play in the development of the service descriptions McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 18 19 Service descriptions CUSTOMER • Include as much detail as possible • Ensure that it is objectively clear what services you will be receiving • Include inherent, necessary or customary services • Don’t rely on the service provider to tell you what you want • To the extent applicable, it is also important to ensure that the services include all resources used by the service provider to provide the services McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca SERVICE PROVIDER • “Off the shelf” services, and changes/improvements to them over time • RFP response contains marketing “puff”/is taken out of context/is refined during contract negotiation • “Inherent, necessary or customary services” – you need to know what services need to be performed, and to receive payment for them! System requirements • Setting out the system requirements or specifications (technical, functional, physical, design, environmental, operational, performance or other relevant specifications or requirements) • Includes technology currency requirements McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 20 Service requirements CUSTOMER • • The specifications are like the architectural drawings for a house they define exactly what you are buying from the service provider If the specifications are incomplete or vague, you will not receive what you believe you are paying for • It is a real challenge to create clear, complete and unambiguous specifications for an agreement • Need to involve subject matter experts McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 21 SERVICE PROVIDER • Customer does not know its requirements and/or continually changes them – need flexibility • Specifications are defined through a post-contract process • Customer must tell you the specifications – it’s the customer’s responsibility Warranties • Warranties can be used to address performance and quality standards, compatibility, functionality and potential intellectual property issues (e.g. IP infringement) McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 22 Warranties 23 CUSTOMER SERVICE PROVIDER • Include all service provider promises as “warranties” • Not all your promises are meant to be warranties - marketing “puff” • Warranty period should reset if a warranty breach occurs and service or deliverable needs to be “fixed” • • Warranty is distinct from acceptance test period and system support / maintenance Performance warranties may not be appropriate where there are service levels and system support / maintenance obligations • Revenue recognition extended for period of re-performance of services or refund of fees • Need broad warranty disclaimer McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Acceptance testing and milestones • Outsourcings typically involve project work (e.g. transition, IT development and business process transformation) • Identify deliverables and have a process for acceptance of those deliverables by customer • Testing processes: • Used to determine whether deliverables conform to their specifications and other requirements • Project plans and milestones: • Timelines and milestones for project-related services (including transition / transformation-related services) McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 24 Acceptance testing and milestones CUSTOMER SERVICE PROVIDER • Tie acceptance to fees, title transfer, milestone achievement and commencement of warranty periods • Avoid deemed acceptance of deliverables and “joint” acceptance • Ensure testing processes are broad and • flexible and try to agree to them upfront • Include pre-testing requirements where possible • Avoid mutual agreement to test plans and processes • • Have appropriate remedies for failure to meet milestones, such as: Post-acceptance issues are dealt with as service levels, maintenance or support • Project plans are operational and change over time, and largely due to customer changes or dependencies • Bonus for early delivery • • • payment tied to meeting milestone reduction in amount payable as delay persists termination rights McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca • Revenue recognition: contingent compensation cannot be recognized until the contingency has been met; use other ways to provide comfort to customer (references, payment terms, “start dates” for services, etc.) Acceptance and testing is a customer responsibility – you need clear time limits, acceptance events, deemed acceptance and production use acceptance 25 Dependencies • Drawing the line between the customer’s responsibilities, the service provider’s responsibilities, and the consequences (i.e., relief to the service provider) should the customer not fulfill its obligations McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 26 27 Dependencies CUSTOMER SERVICE PROVIDER • Avoid vague responsibility matrices, • customer obligations and “assumptions” • Preferable to use dependencies approach: • Involves identifying the specific tasks and obligations that you must complete in order for the service provider to meet its deadlines, but results in relief of service provider obligations rather than contractual breach by you if you fail to complete those tasks / obligations on time • Tie to milestones and milestone deadline dates • Limit ability of service provider to add dependencies after the fact (e.g. time limit, reasonably foreseeable etc.) McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Many crucial performance dependencies are on the customer side – you can’t move forward without customer’s cooperation, permissions, and provision of complete and accurate information • Can’t/unfair to exhaustively enumerate customer responsibilities and make service provider responsible for all other delays • Equitable relief for customer delays: $ and time; may not be “dollar for dollar” or “day for day” Service levels and related remedies • Service levels define what the customer is buying in terms of expected performance, availability and quality • Service levels may be: • Performance metrics for services • Technical requirements (e.g., the time for an operation to be performed by a machine) • Services requirements (e.g., the time for a MAC to be done) • Measurements of conditions (e.g., 99.9% uptime) • Service levels can be SLOs (no credits) or SLAs (credits for misses) McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 28 Service levels and related remedies CUSTOMER SERVICE PROVIDER • Need objectively clear definitions and calculation methodologies • • Ensure sufficient flexibility in measurements and remedies (e.g. right to “focus” service level measurements and weight by importance) Service levels must be measurable / processes must exist to measure metrics • Reactive vs. proactive service levels • Stabilization periods • Avoid determining later based on initial performance and phasing in • Customer dependencies/factories out of your control • Ensure what is being measured is what you care about • • Include processes for reporting, investigation and remediation of service level failures, including incidents Credits: limited at-risk amount, relief from “double jeopardy”; earn-backs; sole remedy • Typically, two types of remedies: • • Financial (discount or credit) Termination McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 29 Market protections • Mechanisms to ensure continuous improvement and competitiveness of services and pricing • Benchmarking • • A process through which the deal that a customer receives is compared to comparable deals by an independent third party to assess whether the deal remains competitive • May cover more than pricing (e.g. service levels) • Service tower vs. service basis Most favoured customer (MFC) • Service provider certifies that its price is as good as it gives any other customer for comparable services • Often combined with a promise to adjust pricing if service provider offers a better deal to another customer McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 30 Market protections - benchmarking CUSTOMER • Most appropriate and effective when you are captive to a service provider under a long term agreement • Practically benchmarking rights are rarely exercised but use as leverage to the negotiation of pricing changes • Use of normalization to ensure sufficient comparables • Remedies if deal is determined not to be market competitive: adjustment of terms or termination right McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca SERVICE PROVIDER • To be useful, must be possible to identify a sufficient number of comparable deals for which the benchmarker has data in order to perform a comparison; need an “apples to apples” comparison • Control over the benchmarker, the benchmarking process, the scope of what can be benchmarked • Third party cannot set pricing, you instead need to receive the report and provide a proposal in response 31 Market protections – MFC CUSTOMER • You want to know getting “best” or “fair” deal • More important if sole source situation • Obtain audit rights to aid compliance • Hard to enforce but creates leverage to open a pricing discussion after signing McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca SERVICE PROVIDER • Adjustments must be able to go both ways: i.e., in favor of customer or you • Remedies: prospective vs. retroactive changes, should be compensated if customer terminates • Too difficult to administer, in particular for large or global organizations • Need flexibility in future deals / certainty in past deals • Comparables: services / markets / geography / size / importance of deals 32 Fees and economic model • Fees and the basis for their calculation are set out in the agreement • An economic model sets out how the financial aspects of the agreement were determined, including margins and what the customer expects to pay over the life of the contract McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 33 Fees and economic model CUSTOMER • • In large deals where significant changes to the services and deliverables will likely be required, an economic model (whether included or cross-referenced) can be used to protect against the risk of later price gouging by the service provider An economic model can also address the sharing of cost savings over the life of a contract McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca SERVICE PROVIDER • Economic model/cost structure is highly confidential and cannot be revealed to customer; if customer does have visibility into economic model, must include all service provider costs plus mark-up • Service / volume / exclusivity commitments for pricing • CPI and currency and labor costs pricing adjustments over time • Limits on customer’s ability to withhold amounts • Interest on late payments 34 Risk transfer • Indemnities and limitations of liability • Need to consider who controls the risk and can best manage it • Limitation of liability • Limitation of liability clauses may limit: • Types of damages for which a party may be held liable • Total dollar value of a party’s potential liability • Types of claims for which a party may be held liable McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 35 Risk transfer 36 CUSTOMER • Unlimited liability (in terms of the dollar limit and the limit on the types of damages recoverable) may be appropriate for: breaches of confidentiality by either party, breaches of privacy by the service provider, third party claims for intellectual property infringement relating to the service provider’s IP, personal injury or property damage, negligence and other forms of misconduct, such as fraud, and wilful cessation of services • Indirect (including economic / data loss) vs. direct damages • Factors for determining cap: • • • • • cap high enough to cover losses fixed vs. variable amount per claims vs. in the aggregate industry / market practice one versus multiple McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca SERVICE PROVIDER • Does not want to assume responsibility for inherent “riskiness” of customer business • Must include negligence • Use hard caps without vague or broad exclusions • Unlimited liability of customer for IP breaches • Different categories of privacy / security breach – “stretch caps” • Different types of IP can be infringed, including without service provider culpability (e.g. patents) Term, termination and termination assistance • • Term and termination • Consider how the term should be structured (e.g. “contract year”) • Consider impact of transition / migration services on the term • Termination right triggers (material breach (with or without cure periods), specific breaches, change of control, insolvency, change in law, convenience (with or without a termination fee being payable) etc.) Termination assistance • Termination assistance addresses need to be able to effectively and efficiently transition away from the service provider’s service in the event of termination or expiration of the agreement or in the event of a significant reduction in scope of services • Termination assistance can cover things such as the transfer of assets and employees, IP licenses, procurement assistance and knowledge transfer McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 37 Term and termination CUSTOMER Want to lock customer in as long as possible to increase revenue and protect the pricing model Consider specifically defining breaches that give rise to a termination right • Avoid “death by a thousand cuts” by taking into account cumulative effect of numerous non-material breaches Need to terminate for customer bad behaviour (e.g. breach of IP or confidence) or insolvency • Termination fees must cover: Want flexibility to exit deal • Termination for breach • • • SERVICE PROVIDER • • • 38 Avoid reciprocal termination rights – vendor termination rights, if any, should be very limited (e.g. not just late paying an invoice) Any termination fee should be clear and calculable and based upon objective reasoning – resist paying for service provider foregone profits McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca • capital cost recovery • profit recovery • time value of money • disincentive to terminate services Termination assistance CUSTOMER SERVICE PROVIDER • Want flexibility in duration and scope • Duration / cost • Helps avoid exorbitant pricing or refusal to cooperate • No services if termination is caused by Customer breach • Need to ensure customer has ability to carry on its business post-contract • • In certain circumstances should not have to pay for termination assistance No assistance or disclosure of confidential information to service provider’s competitors McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 39 Change management 40 • “Expect the unexpected” – You should expect that changes to the agreement will need to be made • The details of the services are often in flux • Customer business requirements will change over time McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Change management CUSTOMER • Service provider should not be entitled to refuse to make a change (unless the change is not technically or legally possible) SERVICE PROVIDER • Service provider ability to request changes • All changes are mutually agreed – can’t be forced to provide a service • Have rules or principles for pricing of changes and an arbitration procedure to • follow if price can’t be agreed • It may be appropriate for responsibility for costs to vary depending on the circumstances • Non-material changes should not result in additional charges • Price should adjust both ways and be determined on a net basis McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 41 • Payment for preparation of change request responses Payment for any changes having a cost impact Audit rights • Type and frequency of audits and related record keeping requirements McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 42 Audit rights 43 CUSTOMER SERVICE PROVIDER • Internal controls • • Regulatory requirements: e.g. OSFI supervision – accompany customer audit, access to data and copies of records / reports No audit of sensitive internal operations (unless regulatory-driven) • Provide industry standard audit reports instead (e.g. CSAE 3416 Type II) • Controls on frequency and scope of audits • No access to your other customers’ information • Costs of audits • Security audits • Remediation McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Intellectual property • Ownership of work product • What IP does the customer need and how will it be used? • To own or license • Standard product offering vs. unique custom development • Need to maintain technology currency • Strategic considerations McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 44 Intellectual property 45 CUSTOMER • • Consider: non-assertion covenant, • residual rights and limits on service provider’s ability to exploit IP it develops • for you but owns (e.g. no offering to your competitors) Consider what IP rights are needed to carry on business post-contract McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca SERVICE PROVIDER Keep “IP whole” Restrictions on use of developments: • need to know early in planning process so controls can be put in place • limit to matters of competitive importance to customer • affect pricing since you are restricted from making money from them Subcontracting • Use of third parties by the service provider to perform its obligations under the agreement McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 46 Subcontracting 47 CUSTOMER • • • Depending on the nature of the services, consider setting out rules or limitations with respect to service provider’s ability to subcontract May need to push down certain obligations to subcontractors (e.g. confidentiality, security, privacy, audit rights and IP) May want direct agreements with subcontractors for certain matters (e.g., confidentiality, security, privacy, dispute resolution) McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca SERVICE PROVIDER • Who is a “subcontractor”? Consider “suppliers” or “material men” • What if customer says “no” to a subcontractor? You are responsible to provide the services! • Accept responsibility for your subcontractors by providing warranty and performance covenants, and backstopping these through your subcontracts Engagement management and dispute resolution • Engagement management: • Having a defined governance structure is essential to managing the outsourcing relationship • Points of contact • Committees • Regular planned meetings • • Identification of key personnel and special requirements related to them Dispute resolution: • Should have a defined dispute resolution process with specific timelines that leverage the governance model • • • • Internal escalation based on governance structure Mediation Arbitration Courts McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 48 Engagement management and dispute resolution CUSTOMER • SERVICE PROVIDER Consider designating critical service provider personnel as “key personnel” and restricting the ability of the service provider to remove them from providing the services • Need flexibility in business with respect to personnel • Need to address leaves of absence, firings, quittings, etc. • Control conduct of service provider personnel (e.g. compliance with policies) • Customer is obligated to continue paying for the services while a dispute is ongoing • Vendor should be obligated to continue providing the services while a dispute is ongoing • Mutuality in governance and decisionmaking • Consider whether expedited dispute resolution process is needed • Access to court system in certain circumstances McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 49 50 McCarthy Tétrault Advance™ Building Capabilities for Growth What Every Business Needs to Know About Technology Law September 20, 2012 McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 51 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues Beth Macdonald, Lisa Martz, and Vincent Yip McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Online Marketing Social Media has changed the way businesses interact with customers Remember: The same laws and standards apply online as in traditional media: • • • • • • Competition Act provincial consumer protection legislation IP laws privacy laws Criminal Code Industry specific standards and regulations McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 52 Typical Competition Act Issues for Advertisers 1. Making a representation that is false or misleading in a material respect • What is “material”? – is the statement likely to influence the consumer's purchasing decision? Heavy criminal and civil penalties • • • • Corporations – fines from $100K - $10 million for first offense Indictable or summary offense Cease and desist orders, etc. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 53 Typical Competition Act Issues for Advertisers cont… 2. Representations re: performance, efficacy or length of product life • • advance adequate and proper testing required applies also to comparative advertising context 3. Contest requirements 4. Testimonials 5. Pricing claims – restrictions on “ordinary price” representations McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 54 Online Contests Criminal Code prohibits illegal lotteries • Contests must have: • No purchase necessary (consider the entry format carefully) • An element of skill (e.g. the skill testing question) McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 55 Online Contests Competition Act 1. Adequate and Fair Disclosure Requirements for Promotional Contests • Number and approximate value of prizes • Any regional prize allocation • Any known fact that materially affects the chances of winning • Also: • Selection of participants or winners must be made randomly or on the basis of skill • Prize distribution must not be delayed McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 56 2. Mini Rules Are Outlined • • • • No purchase necessary/how to enter & eligibility criteria Odds of winning/material facts Closing date/number & value of prizes Where to read full rules (onsite or instore) (note Quebec legislation imposes additional obligations) McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 57 Online Contests - User Generated Content What is this? • Send in your crazy photo • Write a poem about our product • Send us a video clip of your pet Typical Issues: 1. Inappropriate content • Monitor entries before they are posted and inform entrants of this McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 58 Typical UGC Issues cont… 2. IP Rights • Copyright (Q: is the submitted material “original” to the entrant and owned by the entrant?) • Note: inability to assign CR online (requirement of CR assignments to be “in writing”) • So when online - ask for a non-exclusive license and a moral rights waiver • Trade-marks (Q: Are third party trade-marks being displayed?) McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 59 Typical UGC Issues cont… 3. Privacy Law – (Q: Do we have waivers from all identifiable people in the submission?) 4. Competition Law – (Q: Are there any misleading advertising or comparative advertising issues?) 5. Minors (in BC = under 19, in some provinces 21) see Infants Act, CMA Code of Ethics 6. Potential Computer/Technical Problems McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 60 Check “Terms of Use” for Social Media Sites • Facebook & Twitter – commercial use is not expressly prohibited • YouTube – content cannot be used for commercial purposes (without consent) • Facebook – contest restrictions – advertising guidelines McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 61 Blogging & Testimonials • Get a written release from the person giving a testimonial • Ensure testimonial was given by a person who used the product • Do not mislead customers - typical use, experience or knowledge of the person giving the testimonial, payment/consideration and any relationship between the bloggers and your company • Disclosures should be on the blog • Do not let a testimonial outlive its accuracy or the consent given McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 62 Expansion of Generic Top-Level Domain Names (TLD’s) ¬ currently 22 gTLD’s (.com, .biz, .org, .net etc.) ¬ .com and country code top-level domain names (eg. ‘.ca’, ‘.uk’) dominate ¬ registration of second level domain names under these TLD’s now an established part of commerce (eg. ‘mccarthy.ca’) ¬ since 2007, ICANN working towards program for release of new generic Top-Level Domains ¬ opportunity to apply for unlimited new gTLD’s of applicant’s choice opened January 2012 McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 63 New gTLD Program ¬ open to anyone to apply ¬ US $185,000 application fee ¬ successful applicants will become registrar of new gTLD ¬ responsible for operating registry that controls second-level domains under that gTLD ¬ applications evaluated according to criteria including applicant’s: ¬ technical and operational capacity ¬ financial capability ¬ background McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 64 New gTLD’s: First Round ¬ deadline for first round of applications for new gTLD’s was May 30, 2012 ¬ 1,930 applications received ¬ ‘Reveal Day’ re: new gTLD’s applied for was June 13, 2012 McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 65 66 McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca New gTLD’s Under Consideration Include: .movie .game .bank .hotel .music .christmas .nike .heinz .berlin .news .app .blog .cloud .inc .doctor .chanel .apple .nyc [complete list at: http://newgtlds.icann.org] McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 67 New gTLD’s cont. ¬ applications submitted include domains that represent specific: ¬ industries ¬ products ¬ geographic areas ¬ brands ¬ applications include Internationalized Domain Names (IDN’s) ¬ TLD’s that display in non-English characters ¬ onus on concerned parties (including trade-mark rights holders) to file objections McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 68 Objection Process Objections can be filed based on following grounds: ¬ String Confusion Objection – The applied-for gTLD string is confusingly similar to an existing TLD or to another applied- for gTLD string in the same round of applications. ¬ Legal Rights Objection – The applied-for gTLD string infringes the existing legal rights of the objector. ¬ Limited Public Interest Objection – The applied-for gTLD string is contrary to generally accepted legal norms of morality and public order that are recognized under principles of international law. ¬ Community Objection – There is substantial opposition to the gTLD application from a significant portion of the community to which the gTLD string may be explicitly or implicitly targeted. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 69 Objection Process cont. ¬ World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is administrator of legal rights objections process ¬ filing fee of approx. US$10,000 must be paid by each party ¬ objections filed electronically and limited to 5000 words/20 pages ¬ 30 day period for applicant to respond ¬ adjudication panel applies tests similar to those used for domain name disputes McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 70 Objection Process cont. ¬ period to file objections runs to January 2013 ¬ no objections filed to date (but 6000 comments received) ¬ once new gTLD’s up and running, will be “Trademarks Clearinghouse” where details of rights can be registered to prevent infringing domain name registrations ¬ source of info for gTLD registrars to access for “sunrise periods” and domain name disputes McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 71 Where Do Things Go From Here ¬ results of initial evaluation of applications projected for June 2013 ¬ launch of new gTLD’s expected earliest beginning August 2013 ¬ further rounds of applications planned for future McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 72 Things to Think About ¬ ICANN expectation is dramatic increase in no. of domain names ¬ benefits for brand-owners ¬ get to control second-level domain name registrations (to sell/issue or not) ¬ own tLD clearly indicates legitimate websites ¬ opportunity for brand control ¬ could change the way users navigate the internet -- and how organizations present themselves online McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 73 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues ¬ Recent Developments in Trade-mark Law ¬ 1) Protection for non-traditional trade-marks ¬ 2) New way of litigating trade-marks ¬ 3) What we can learn from Apple v. Samsung McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 74 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues ¬ What can be protected by a trade-mark registration? ¬ traditionally, only marks that can be visually represented are registrable ¬ examples include: Design Mark McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Distinguishing Guise Certification Mark 75 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues ¬ Protection for Non-traditional Trade-marks Sound Marks ¬ as of March 28, 2012, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office began accepting applications to register sound marks ¬ Capitol Records was able to get a trade-mark registration for a sound (TMA359,318), but it was expunged for failure to renew ¬ MGM filed a trade-mark application in 1992 to protect the lion’s roar McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 76 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues ¬ Sound Marks ¬ there were numerous delays and MGM’s application was rejected by the Registrar of Trade-marks in 2010 ¬ MGM appealed to the Federal Court ¬ rather than issuing a full decision, the Federal Court issued a consent order, directing advertisement of MGM’s application ¬ MGM’s application went unopposed, and it is now a registered trade-mark McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 77 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues ¬ Sound Marks ¬ the Trade-marks Office issued a practice notice setting out the requirements of an application for a sound mark: ¬ 1) state that the application is for the registration of a sound mark; ¬ 2) contain a drawing that graphically represents the sound; ¬ 3) contain a description of the sound; and ¬ 4) contain an electronic recording of the sound. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 78 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 79 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues ¬ Example ¬ MGM’s ROARING LION (TMA828,890) 714314-mc-son-tm-sound.mp3 ¬ Description: The trade-mark is a sound mark consisting of a lion roaring. An electronic recording of the sound has been placed on file. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 80 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues ¬ Protection of Non-traditional Marks ¬ the Trade-marks Office has been looking into protection of non-traditional trade-marks ¬ colour ¬ 3D images ¬ holograms ¬ motion ¬ some or all of these are registrable in other jurisdictions ¬ covered by proposed amendments to Trademarks Regulations McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 81 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues ¬ Concerns ¬ 1) The legal basis granting such application remains unsettled ¬ no change to statutory language ¬ legislation governs if practice notice is inconsistent ¬ 2) It may conflict with longstanding precedent of the Federal Court of Appeal in Playboy Enterprises Inc. v. Germain (No.1) ¬ FCA held that a mark must be something that can be represented visually McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 82 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues ¬ Concerns ¬ 3) How can confusion be assessed for sound marks? What is the scope of protection? ¬ how similar do the sounds have to be to constitute infringement? ¬ Is roar from a different lion infringement? ¬ jurisprudence will provide further insight into these issues McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 83 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues ¬ New Way of Litigating Trade-marks ¬ BBM Canada v. Research In Motion Ltd. ¬ on June 28, 2012, the Federal Court issued its first ever decision in an infringement case brought by an “application” ¬ traditionally, trade-mark infringement cases were brought by way of an action ¬ in a 2011 decision, the Federal Court of Appeal confirmed that a party can proceed by way of an “application” in addition to an action McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 84 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues ¬ BBM Canada v. Research In Motion Ltd. ¬ BBM Canada has 9 Canadian trade-mark registrations comprising “BBM” in connection with its data collection and distribution services ¬ RIM uses BBM as an acronym for BlackBerry Messenger and file a trade-mark application in 2009 ¬ BBM Canada challenges RIM’s use of BBM by way of an application alleging infringement, depreciation of goodwill, and passing off McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 85 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues ¬ BBM Canada v. Research In Motion Ltd. ¬ Federal Court dismissed all of BBM’s claims ¬ key factors in decision: narrow scope of protection and differences between services ¬ the “application” process is more summary and expeditious ¬ the case is litigated by way of affidavit evidence rather than oral testimony ¬ rather than waiting for years to reach a decision at trial, the application process may only take months McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 86 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues ¬ Apple v. Samsung (August 2012) ¬ while the press has focussed on the patent and design patent claims, the case also involved trade dress infringement ¬ Apple owns a U.S. trade dress registration for the iPhone 3G McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 87 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues ¬ Apple v. Samsung (August 2012) ¬ U.S. Trade-mark Registration No. 77303282 McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 88 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues ¬ Apple v. Samsung (August 2012) ¬ the trade dress registration cover many elements ¬ colour, shape of the icons, shape of the device, and arrangement of the icons ¬ Apple asserted unregistered trade dresses of the iPhone and the iPad/iPad2 ¬ Apple also tried to prove that its trade dresses are famous McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 89 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues ¬ Apple v. Samsung (August 2012) McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 90 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues ¬ Apple v. Samsung (August 2012) McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 91 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues ¬ Apple v. Samsung (August 2012) ¬ jury had to decide on the following issues: ¬ whether the Apple trade dress is protectable ¬ whether Apple’s trade dress was famous before Samsung started selling its accused products ¬ whether accused products cause confusion about the source of Samsung’s goods ¬ whether Samsung’s accused products are likely to cause dilution of the asserted Apple trade dresses by impairing their distinctiveness McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 92 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues ¬ Apple v. Samsung (August 2012) ¬ jury considered multiple pieces of evidence, including results from likelihood of confusion surveys and secondary meaning surveys ¬ jury found the registered iPhone trade dress and unregistered iPhone 3G trade dress to be protectable and famous ¬ ultimately, jury found Samsung’s devices diluted Apple’s registered and unregistered iPhone trade dresses McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 93 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues ¬ Apple v. Samsung (August 2012) ¬ in Canada, trade dress is protected in Canada as distinguishing guises ¬ the applicant has to show the distinguishing guise has acquired sufficient distinctiveness as of the application’s filing date ¬ applicant has to provide an affidavit or statutory declaration ¬ if the applicant is unable to show acquired distinctiveness across Canada, the resulting registration may be geographically limited McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 94 Relevant Brand and Advertising Issues ¬ Apple v. Samsung (August 2012) ¬ Key Takeaways ¬ multi-prong approach to intellectual property protection ¬ patents ¬ trade dress/distinguishing guises ¬ industrial design (design patents in the U.S.) McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 95 96 McCarthy Tétrault Advance™ Building Capabilities for Growth What Every Business Needs to Know About Technology Law September 20, 2012 McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 97 Navigating the Cloud Shanti Ariker, Cheryl Slusarchuk, and Troy Lehman McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Introduction ¬ Everyone is using the cloud ¬ Facebook, Gmail, Twitter, LinkedIn ¬ Common cloud applications ¬ Email, social networking, community communications, web presence, content, collaboration, monitoring, CRM ¬ Database storage, networks, computer ¬ Near term expanding use of the cloud ¬ Mission critical enterprise solutions such as finance or billing ¬ Regulated industries for process, functions or data subject to regulated requirements ¬ Broader social media strategy and community/employee engagement (internal and external) including gamification McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 98 What is clouding computing and why ¬ Another way to procure computing services ¬ “Buy/Build It” model ¬ “IT Outsourcing” model ¬ “Cloud” model ¬ Why cloud ¬ Significant cost reductions ¬ Scalable and elastic ¬ Certain cloud applications becoming industry standard McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 99 What is “clouding computing” (cont’d) ¬ Software/Application (SaaS) ¬ salesforce.com ¬ Workday ¬ Platform (PaaS) ¬ IBM Smartcloud ¬ Windows Azure ¬ Infrastructure (IaaS) ¬ Amazon Web Services ¬ Rackspace Cloud ¬ [*]aaS - communication, database … everything * Cloud graphic courtesy of Wikipedia McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 100 Head in the Cloud - Safety Tips 101 ¬ Irresistible Price versus Immovable Laws ¬ Location – yours – What are your legal compliance requirements? ¬ Location – theirs – What are their applicable laws? ¬ Location – ours – What does the contract say about all this? McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Head in the Cloud - Safety Tips ¬ Safety Tip 1 - Don’t get crunched as the “Naysayer” ¬ Recognize IT procurement has changed. ¬ Get involved early – make it a business issue. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 102 Head in the Cloud - Safety Tips ¬ Irresistible Price versus Immutable Service Requirements ¬ Understanding the services. ¬ What is negotiable? ¬ Understanding services levels. ¬ Do traditional service levels apply? ¬ Understanding termination and transition. ¬ Is it realistic to switch or repatriate? McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 103 Head in the Cloud - Safety Tips ¬ Safety Tip 2 - Don’t get crunched as the “Latecomer” ¬ Recognize IT contracts have changed. ¬ EULA versus SOW mindset. ¬ If “market forces” are your “remedies”, focus on: due diligence, switching costs, and business continuity. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 104 Head in the Cloud - Safety Tips ¬ Irresistible Price versus Actual Price ¬ Costs still arise in each of the following 3 phases: ¬ Implementation ¬ Steady-State ¬ Transition-Out or Repatriation ¬ What do you own and what does that mean? ¬ Rethinking “I paid for it so I should own it”. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 105 Head in the Cloud - Safety Tips ¬ Safety Tip 3 - Don’t get crunched as the “Optimist” ¬ Recognize IT pricing has changed. ¬ Price the life-cycle, not just steady-state. ¬ Know what you need to own and why. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 106 107 Hot Topics in Technology and Intellectual Property Law Barry Sookman, Beth Macdonald, and Paul Armitage McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Cases before the Supreme Court ¬ Entertainment Software Association v. Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada, 2012 SCC 34 (ESA v SOCAN) ¬ Rogers Communications Inc. v. Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada, 2012 SCC 35 (Rogers v SOCAN) ¬ Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada v. Bell Canada, 2012 SCC 36 (SOCAN v Bell) ¬ Alberta (Education) v. Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright), 2012 SCC 37 (Access Copyright) ¬ Re:Sound v. Motion Picture Theatre Associations of Canada, 2012 SCC 38 (RE:Sound) McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 108 Principles of construction 109 ¬ The Act reflects a balance in copyright between promoting the public interest in the encouragement and dissemination of works and obtaining a just reward for the creator. ¬ The Act should be construed in a technologically neutral manner. ESA v SOCAN, Rogers v SOCAN ¬ The Act should be interpreted to extend to technologies that were not or could not have been contemplated at the time of its drafting. It exists to protect the rights of authors and others as technology evolves. Rogers v SOCAN ¬ Treaties to which Canada is a party can be used to construe the Act. Rogers v SOCAN, ESA v SOCAN ¬ Foreign copyright cases must be scrutinized very carefully before being applied in Canada because of the different wording and policy considerations in the Canadian and foreign legislation. Rogers v SOCAN, Re:Sound McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Interpretation of the communication to the public right 110 ¬ In ESA v. SOCAN, the Court ruled that a download of a video game was not a “communication” within the meaning of Section 3(1)(f). ¬ The right to “communicate” is connected to the right to perform a work and not the right to reproduce permanent copies of the work. ¬ A “download” “is merely an additional, more efficient way to deliver copies of the games to customers. The downloaded copy is identical to copies purchased in stores or shipped to customers by mail, and the game publishers already pay copyright owners reproduction royalties for all of these copying activities.” ¬ The “Internet is simply a technological taxi that delivers a durable copy of the same work to the end user”. ¬ Implications: Using the internet to deliver goods that contain music e.g., video games, podcasts, movies and TV programs, software, AV works, books, will not attract separate communication to the public royalties or remuneration to Re:Sound. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Interpretation of the communication to the public right ¬ In Rogers v. SOCAN, the Court ruled that on-demand transmissions of music streams as part of online music services are communications that are “to the public”. ¬ The term “telecommunication” should be broadly construed so as to apply to communications that do not depend on the types of technology used to effect the communication. ¬ An on-demand communication of a work to members of the public can be a communication that is to the public. The Act applies to push as well as to pull means of transmitting works to the public. ¬ The applicability of the communication to the public right is not dependant on the arbitrary choice of business models. ¬ Implications: Online streaming services including on-demand online music services, on-demand video rental/streaming services, TV video on demand, UGC sites, interactive gaming sites etc, have to pay communication (performance) royalties as well as reproduction royalties. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 111 Interpretation of the fair dealing defence ¬ The Access Copyright case was a judicial review from a decision of the Copyright Board which examined whether copying of short extracts for classroom teaching purposes was a fair dealing. The Board and the Federal Court of Appeal had found it was not. The Supreme Court allowed the appeal and remitted the matter back to the Board to reconsider its decision in accordance with its construction of the fair dealing defence. ¬ The Bell v. SOCAN case addressed whether previews of music made available by online music services were a fair dealing for the purposes of research. The Board and the Federal Court of Appeal held they were. The Court affirmed that holding. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 112 Interpretation of the fair dealing defence 113 ¬ Fair dealing is a “user right”. ¬ The term “private study” can include students in a classroom setting. The word “private” in “private study” “should not be understood as requiring users to view copyrighted works in splendid isolation. Studying and learning are essentially personal endeavours, whether they are engaged in with others or in solitude.” Providing excerpts of texts to students in class is private study. ¬ The term “research” must be given a large and liberal interpretation and can include users listening to previews to decide whether to purchase music. “Research” is not limited “to creative purposes”. It can be piecemeal, informal, exploratory, or confirmatory. It can in fact be undertaken for no purpose except personal interest.” ¬ “The relevant perspective when considering whether a dealing is for an allowable purpose is that of the user and not the copier. The copier’s purpose is relevant in the fairness analysis.” “copiers cannot camouflage their own distinct purpose by purporting to conflate it with the research or study purposes of the ultimate user”. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Interpretation of the fair dealing defence ¬ Will be easier to establish that the purpose of a dealing is allowable e.g. focus on users, and interpretations of research and private study. ¬ Will potentially benefit online uses and online service providers. ¬ Will be even broader when C-11 comes into force. ¬ Brings Canada closer to U.S. fair use. ¬ “User rights”, focus on users rather than on copiers, and the ability to establish fairness by showing a practice or system that is fair, makes fair dealing extremely broad and unpredictable. ¬ Decisions will affect rights holders McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 114 Copyright Modernization Act (a.k.a. Bill C-11) 115 Why? • Because of World Intellectual Property treaty obligations agreed to by Canada in 1997 • Because Parliament was dissolved the last 3 times that similar copyright reforms were attempted • Because the Copyright Act is way behind the times (last amended in 1997) Bill C-11 has passed the House of Commons & Senate and received Royal Assent McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Key Tech Related Amendments 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. New Fair Dealing Exceptions Technological Protection Measures New “Innovation” Exceptions to Infringement Targeting Infringement Enablers Safe Harbour for Service Providers Qualifying Statutory Damages re: noncommercial infringement McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 116 1. New Fair Dealing Exceptions A. Basic Exception – s. 29 “Fair dealing for the purpose of research, private study, education, parody or satire does not infringe copyright” [emphasis added] • What is “fair dealing” – undefined (but refer to the new SCC decisions re: education) – future case law to develop this But: • Moral rights still exist • CR owner entitled to performing rights royalties McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 117 B. Exceptions for Individuals a. User Generated Content – for non-commercial purposes (i.e. your “Fluffy sings Lady Gaga” YouTube video) • • Source of work to be mentioned (if reasonable) Other qualifications b. Format shifting, time shifting (between devices and/or for later viewing) ** c. Making backup copies of legally acquired content to protect against damage or loss** ** note: Format shifting, time shifting and making backup copies are not permitted if a TPM preventing this exists on the original copy McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 118 2. Technological Protection Measures (TPMs) What are they? • Essentially- digital locks – can control access to or copying of a work, a performer’s performance or sound recording • TPM must be authorized by the copyright owner New s.41.1(1) No person shall… a. circumvent a TPM b. offer services primarily to circumvent TPMs McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 119 120 c. manufacture, distribute, sell or rent any technology or device designed or produced primarily to circumvent a TPM [emphasis added] Criminal offense if done knowingly for commercial purposes (up to $1 million fine and 5 years in prison) McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 3. Relevant TPM “Innovation” Exceptions for Tech Companies A. Encryption research (s. 30.62(1)) • It is not infringement of CR to reproduce a work for purposes of encryption research if a. Not practical to do research otherwise b. Person has lawfully obtained the work c. Person has informed CR owner B. Computer and network security (s. 30.63(1)) • It is not an infringement of CR to reproduce a work for the sole purpose of assessing the vulnerability of the computer system or network or of correcting any security flaws - with the consent of the owners/administrator of a computer or computer system or computer network [emphasis added] McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 121 C. Limitations to Encryption and Security Exceptions • s. 30.62(2) and (3); s. 30.63(2) and (3)) a. These exceptions don’t apply if the information obtained is used to commit an offence b. If vulnerability or security flaw is identified and the person wishes to make these public, adequate notice must first be given to the copyright owner c. This notice is not required if, in the circumstances, it is in the public interest to have the vulnerability or flaw made public without adequate notice McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 122 123 D. Interoperability of computer programs (s. 30.61(1) & (2)) • It is not infringement of CR in a computer program for a person who owns a legal copy or has a license to a legal copy to reproduce the copy for the sole purpose of obtaining information that allows person to make the program and any other programs interoperable; and [emphasis added] • Use of information restricted to making programs interoperable or assessing the interoperability (Q: does “interoperability” include reverse engineering? If so, are there any limits to this?) McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 124 Canada’s New Anti-SPAM Legislation McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Program Outline ¬ Canada’s new anti-SPAM legislation (CASL) ¬ Anti-SPAM provisions ¬ Anti-spyware provisions ¬ Amendments to PIPEDA ¬ Amendments to the Competition Act ¬ Enforcement McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 125 CASL purpose ¬ The purpose of CASL is to promote the efficiency and adaptability of the Canadian economy by regulating commercial conduct that discourages the use of electronic means to carry out commercial activities, because that conduct ¬ (a) impairs the availability, reliability, efficiency and optimal use of electronic means to carry out commercial activities; ¬ (b) imposes additional costs on businesses and consumers; ¬ (c) compromises privacy and the security of confidential information; and ¬ (d) undermines the confidence of Canadians in the use of electronic means of communication to carry out their commercial activities in Canada and abroad. (s. 3) McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 126 CASL history ¬ Received royal assent on December 15, 2010. ¬ Original draft regulations were published in the summer of 2011 by the CRTC and Industry Canada. The Canadian business community raised serious objections to their strict requirements. ¬ The CRTC enacted revised regulations, which were finalized on March 28, 2012. The new regulations eased up on some of the more onerous requirements. ¬ Revised draft regulations from Industry Canada are expected shortly. They are also expected to ease up on certain requirements and may contain new exceptions. ¬ Expected to be in force in 2013. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 127 The Anti-SPAM Prohibition S.6(1) It is prohibited to send or cause or permit to be sent to an electronic address a commercial electronic message unless: a) the person to whom the message is sent has consented to receiving it, whether the consent is express or implied; and b) the message complies with subsection (2). (2) The electronic messages must be in a form that conforms to the prescribed requirements and must: a) set out prescribed information that identifies the person who sent the message; b) set out information enabling the person to whom the message is sent to readily contact the sender; and c) set out the prescribed unsubscribe mechanism. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 128 What messaging systems are covered ¬ “electronic message” means a message sent by any means of telecommunication, including a text, sound, voice or image message. (s1(1)) (But, excludes interactive two-way voice communication between individuals, fax messages to a telephone account, voice recordings to a telephone account. (s.6(8)) ¬ “electronic address” means an address used in connection with the transmission of an electronic message to (a) an electronic mail account; (b) an instant messaging account; (c) a telephone account; or (d) any similar account. (s.1(1)) ¬ Note how open ended Electronic Messages can be “sent by any means of telecommunication” Electronic Addresses include “any similar account” which will continually change McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 129 What is a CEM? 130 A “commercial electronic message” is “an electronic message that, having regard to the content of the message, the hyperlinks in the message to content on a website or other database, or the contact information contained in the message, it would be reasonable to conclude has as its purpose, or one of its purposes, to encourage participation in a commercial activity, including an electronic message that: (a) offers to purchase, sell, barter or lease a product, goods, a service, land or an interest or right in land; (b) offers to provide a business, investment or gaming opportunity; (c) advertises or promotes anything referred to in paragraph (a) or (b); or (d) promotes a person, including the public image of a person, as being a person who does anything referred to in any of paragraphs (a) to (c), or who intends to do so. (s.1(2)) McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca General exception to CASL ¬ An inquiry or application related to a person engaged in a commercial activity. (s.6(5)) ¬ Personal or family relationships (s.6(5)(a)) ¬ Telecommunication Service Providers (TSP) ¬ A class, or sent in circumstances, defined in regulations. (s.6(5)). ¬ Additional exceptions and classes of implied consents could be included in forthcoming Industry Canada regulations. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 131 Consent exception to CASL ¬ 132 The consent requirement does not apply to a CEM that solely (s.6(6)): ¬ provides a quote or estimate... if the quote or estimate was requested; ¬ facilitates, completes or confirms a commercial transaction that the person to whom the message is sent previously agreed to enter into with the person who sent the message; ¬ provides warranty information, product recall information or safety or security information about a product, goods or a service that the person to whom the message is sent uses, has used or has purchased; ¬ provides notification of factual information about (i) the ongoing use or ongoing purchase by the person to whom the message is sent of a product, goods or a service offered under a subscription, membership, account, loan or similar relationship by the person who sent the message, or (ii) the ongoing subscription, membership, account, loan or similar relationship of the person to whom the message is sent; ¬ provides information directly related to an employment relationship or related benefit plan; ¬ delivers a product, goods or a service, including product updates or upgrades, that the person to whom the message is sent is entitled to receive under the terms of a transaction... McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Implied consents to send CEMs 133 A consent is implied for the purpose of the anti-SPAM provisions if: ¬ there is “an existing business relationship” or an “existing non-business relationship”, as those terms are defined. (s.10(9)) ¬ “Existing business relationship” is a business relationship arising from (s.10(10)): a) the purchase or lease of a product, goods, a service, land or an interest or right in land, within the 2-year period immediately before the day on which the message was sent; b) the acceptance by the recipient, within the period referred to in paragraph (a), of a business, investment or gaming opportunity; c) the bartering of anything mentioned in paragraph (a)... d) a written contract entered into between the recipient and the sender in respect of a matter not referred to in any of paragraphs (a) to (c), if the contract is currently in existence or expired within the period referred to in paragraph (a); or e) an inquiry or application, within the 6-month period immediately before the day on which the message was sent, made by the recipient to the sender, in respect of anything mentioned in any of paragraphs (a) to (c). McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Other Implied consents to send CEMs 134 ¬ The only other implies circumstances are where: ¬ the person to whom the message is sent has “conspicuously published” the electronic address without a statement that the person does not wish to receive unsolicited commercial electronic messages at the electronic address AND the message is relevant to the person’s business, role, functions or duties in a business or official capacity; ¬ the person to whom the message is sent has disclosed, to the person who sends the message, the electronic address without indicating a wish not to receive unsolicited commercial electronic messages, AND the message is relevant to the person’s business, role, functions or duties in a business or official capacity; or ¬ the message is sent in the circumstances set out in the regulations. ¬ The revised regulations may contain new categories of implied consent. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Implied consents to send CEMs 135 “Existing non-business relationship” is a non-business relationship arising from (s.10(13)): a) a donation or gift made by recipient to the sender within the 2-year period immediately before the day on which the message was sent, where the sender is a registered charity, a political party or organization, or a person who is a candidate for publicly elected office; b) volunteer work performed by the recipient for the sender, or attendance at a meeting organized by the sender, within the 2-year period immediately before the day on which the message was sent, where the sender is a registered charity, a political party or organization, or a person who is a candidate for publicly elected office; or c) membership, as defined in the regulations, by the recipient, in the sender, within the 2-year period immediately before the day on which the message was sent, where the sender is a club, association or voluntary organization, as defined in the regulations. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Implied consents to send CEMs Draft Industry Canada reg. 4.(1) For the purposes of paragraph 10(13)(c) of the Act, membership is the status of having been accepted as a member of a club, association or voluntary organization in accordance with the membership requirements of the club, association or organization. (2) For the purposes of paragraph 10(13)(c) of the Act, a club, association or voluntary organization is a non-profit organization that is organized and operated exclusively for social welfare, civic improvement, pleasure or recreation or for any purpose other than profit, if no part of its income is payable to, or otherwise available for the personal benefit of any proprietor, member or shareholder of that organization unless the proprietor, member or shareholder is an organization the primary purpose of which is the promotion of amateur athletics in Canada. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 136 Getting express consents to send CEMs Express consents ¬ A person who seeks express consent must, when requesting consent, set out clearly and simply the following information: (a) the purpose or purposes for which the consent is being sought; (b) prescribed information that identifies the person seeking consent and, if the person is seeking consent on behalf of another person, prescribed information that identifies that other person; and (c) any other prescribed information. (s.10(1)). See also (s.6(2)). McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 137 Getting express consents to send CEMS 138 CRTC reg s.4. For the purposes of subsections 10(1) and (3) of the Act, a request for consent may be obtained orally or in writing and must be sought separately for each act described in sections 6 to 8 of the Act and must include (a) the name by which the person seeking consent carries on business, if different from their name, if not, the name of the person seeking consent; (b) if the consent is sought on behalf of another person, the name by which the person on whose behalf consent is sought carries on business, if different from their name, if not, the name of the person on whose behalf consent is sought; (c) if consent is sought on behalf of another person, a statement indicating which person is seeking consent and which person on whose behalf consent is sought; and (d) the mailing address, and either a telephone number providing access to an agent or a voice messaging system, an email address or a web address of the person seeking consent or, if different, the person on whose behalf consent is sought; and (e) a statement indicating that the person whose consent is sought can withdraw their consent. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Conditions for getting consents 139 ¬ Despite paragraph 10(1)(b), for the purposes of section 6, if a person is seeking express consent on behalf of a person whose identity is not known, (a) the only information that is required to be provided under that paragraph is prescribed information that identifies the person seeking consent; and (b) the person seeking consent must comply with the regulations in respect of the use that may be made of the consent and the conditions on which the consent may be used. (s. 10(2)) ¬ Draft: Industry Canada reg. 3(1) For the purposes of paragraph 10(2)(b) of the Act, a person who obtained express consent on behalf of a person whose identity was unknown may authorize any person to use the consent on the condition that the person who obtained consent ensures that, in any commercial electronic message sent to the person from whom consent was obtained, (a) the person who obtained consent is identified; and (b) the authorized person provides an unsubscribe mechanism that, in addition to meeting the requirements set out in section 11 of the Act, allows the person from whom consent was obtained to withdraw their consent from the person who obtained consent or any other person who is authorized to use the consent. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Conditions for getting consents 140 ¬ Draft Industry Canada reg. 3(2) The person who obtained consent must ensure that, on receipt of an indication of withdrawal of consent by the authorized person who sent the commercial electronic message, that authorized person notifies the person who obtained consent that consent has been withdrawn from, as the case may be, (a) the person who obtained consent; (b) the authorized person who sent the commercial electronic message; or (c) any other person who is authorized to use the consent. ¬ (3) The person who obtained consent must inform, without delay, a person referred to in paragraph 2(c) of the withdrawal of consent on receipt of notification of withdrawal of consent from that person. ¬ (4) The person who obtained consent must give effect to a withdrawal of consent and, if applicable, ensure that a person referred to in paragraph 2(c) gives effect to the withdrawal of consent, in accordance with subsection 11(3) of the Act. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Information to be included in CEMs ¬ 141 The electronic messages must be in a form that conforms to the prescribed requirements and must: (a) set out prescribed information that identifies the person who sent the message; and (b) set out information enabling the person to whom the message is sent to readily contact the sender (the contact information must be valid for 60 days). S. 2(1) CRTC reg: For the purposes of subsection 6(2) of the Act, the following information must be set out in any commercial electronic message: (a) the name by which the person sending the message carries on business, if different from their name, if not, the name of the person; (b) if the message is sent on behalf of another person, the name by which the person on whose behalf the message is sent carries on business, if different from their name, if not, the name of the person on whose behalf the message is sent; (c) if the message is sent on behalf of another person, a statement indicating which person is sending the message and which person on whose behalf the message is sent; and (d) the mailing address, and either a telephone number providing access to an agent or a voice messaging system, an email address or a web address of the person sending the message or, if different, the person on whose behalf the message is sent. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Unsubscribe requirements 142 ¬ The electronic messages must: (c) set out the prescribed unsubscribe mechanism. (s.6(2) & (3)). ¬ The unsubscribe mechanism must (a) enable the recipient to indicate, at no cost to them, the wish to no longer receive any commercial electronic messages, or any specified class of such messages, from the sender, using (i) the same electronic means by which the message was sent, or (ii) if using those means is not practicable, any other electronic means that will enable the person to indicate the wish; and (b) specify an electronic address, or link to a page on the World Wide Web that can be accessed through a web browser, to which the indication may be sent (the address or Web page must be valid for 60 days). (s.11(1) & (2)) ¬ CRTC reg s.3(2) The unsubscribe mechanism referred to in paragraph 6(2)(c) of the Act must be able to be readily performed. (emphasis added) McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Methods of displaying information and unsubscribe mechanism in CEMs 143 ¬ CRTC reg s.3(1) The information referred to in section 2 and the unsubscribe mechanism referred to in paragraph 6(2)(c) of the Act must be set out clearly and prominently. ¬ CRTC reg s.2(2) If it is not practicable to include the information referred to in subsection (1) and the unsubscribe mechanism referred to in paragraph 6(2)(c) of the Act in a commercial electronic message, that information may be provided by a link to a web page on the World Wide Web that is readily accessible by the person to whom the message is sent at no cost to them by means of a link that is clearly and prominently set out in the message. (emphasis added) McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Timing to meet unsubscribe requirements Such an indication must be given effect without delay, and in any event no later than 10 business days after the indication has been sent, without any further action being required on the part of the person who so indicated. (s. 11(3)) McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 144 Very high liability 145 ¬ Administrative monetary penalties (AMPS) with caps up to $1 million for an individual and $10 million for anyone else. (s.20(4)) ¬ Private rights of action by anyone affected by a prohibited act (s.47(1)) with liability that consists of: ¬ compensation for loss, damages and expenses; and ¬ extensive awards that are capped at: ¬ $1 million per day for breach of SPAM, malware, spyware, message routing, address and personal information harvesting, and Competition Act provisions; ¬ $1 million for each act of aiding, inducing, or procuring a breach of the SPAM, malware and spyware, and message routing provisions, plus liability up to $1 million per day for breach of SPAM, malware, spyware, and message routing provisions. ¬ Risk of class actions. McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca Extensive accessorial and vicarious liability ¬ Liability extends to any person who aids, induces or procures a prohibited act. (s.9) ¬ Businesses are liable for acts of their employees within the scope of their authority. (s.32, s.53) ¬ Liability extends to officers, directors, agents, mandataries if they directed, authorized, assented to, acquiesced, or participated in the prohibited act. (s.31, s.52) ¬ Businesses liable for employees businesses liable for “aiding” businesses liable for massive AMPS and damages class actions officers and directors ultimately liable. ¬ Businesses need to put policies and processes in place to reduce risk. ¬ Insurance? McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca 146 VANCOUVER MONTRÉAL Suite 1300, 777 Dunsmuir Street P.O. 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