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Against Monopoly

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Monopoly corrupts. Absolute monopoly corrupts absolutely.





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$27 million claimed; $500 awarded

A claim arguing both copyright infringement and moral rights infringement looked for $27 million in damages. (Plus, amongst other things, the goods and services tax on the monetary awards.) By the end, the Honourable Mr. Justice Russell of the Federal Court of Canada determined that the defendants' copyright misdemeanor was confined to posting the plaintiff's work on their website, without his consent. Justice Russell did not conceal his opinion of the plaintiff's conduct; "The evidence adduced concerning infringement of copyright suggests that the Plaintiff's claims are disproportionate and opportunistic."

It reads like a work of fiction; a long-time business association that went sour, third parties caught in the crossfire, and a proposed corrective that involved transacting funds in a Caribbean country of the plaintiff's choice. The effort to secure significant statutory damages earned some choice words from Justice Russell, "There is no evidence of any market for the Report and the conduct of the Defendants during the proceedings has been consistent with parties simply trying to resist the Plaintiff's inflated demands for $27,000,000.00."

The $500 awarded to the plaintiff is the minimum permitted for statutory damages by Canadian law. The claims for punitive and aggravated damages were unsuccessful.


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