July 11 - 4:40pm EDT   Apple and Canada's Comwave Telecom have settled their trademark dispute over the use of the name "iPhone." The agreement was reached Wednesday night, with Apple retaining sole rights to the iPhone name in Canada, and Comwave phasing out its use of the name in reference to its Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service by November 9. Further terms were not disclosed. The agreement, first reported by the Globe and Mail, ends a long battle between the two companies. [full story]

July 11 - 1:30pm EDT   Canada's Rogers Wireless is also suffering from problems relating to iPhone activation, sources say. Stores nationwide are said to be experiencing massive delays, triggered after the first wave of activations began in the Maritimes, Ontario and Quebec; the sheer volume of traffic crashed the activation servers, a Rogers representative claims. The issue is said to be so severe that Rogers only expects it to be resolved by the end of Friday, and at least some stores may be imposing a five-customer limit with a maximum of two phones per person. [full story]

July 8 - 3:55pm EDT   Apple will not be selling the iPhone 3G at its Canadian retail stores, company representatives suggest. "The iPhone 3G will be available in Canada from Rogers and Fido," says Simon Atkins, an Apple spokesman. The news appears to be circumstantially supported by representatives at two separate Apple Stores, who also claim that the decision was made because Rogers has more than Apple's six Canadian locations, making it better capable of delivering the multiple plans on offer. Rogers has yet to issue a reply to inquiries from the CBC. [full story]

July 6 - 10:50pm EDT   With the backlash rising against Canada's exclusive iPhone carrier, Rogers may be facing sanctions by Apple for its exorbitant rate plans. An unconfirmed report indicates that Apple, unhappy with the pricing plans offered by the carrier and perhaps the negative attention, has diverted a large percentage of iPhone 3G shipments -- destined for Canada -- to Europe. Since the initial announcement of Roger's rate plans, over 43,000 users have signed the virtual petition at RuinediPhone.com and even the main stream media is bolstering the negative attention with headlines such as "Solution to high iPhone prices is not to buy one." [full story]

July 2 - 9:25am EDT   O2 UK stores will begin selling the iPhone 3G at 7AM on July 11th, the company has announced. The timing is even earlier than that of AT&T in the United States, which has announced that its doors will open at 8AM on the 11th, an hour before normal operations. The move is rumored to be necessary due to Apple's mandatory in-store activation policy, which may require several minutes per phone and could result in extended launch line-ups. [full story]

June 30 - 9:00pm EDT   In response to exorbitant pricing for the iPhone 3G data and voice plans suggested by Canadian wireless provider Rogers Communications, RuinediPhone.com (site down as of 9PM EST) has commenced operations with changing the telco's less-than-ethical pricing practices. Since launching at the end of last week, RuinediPhone.com has so far obtained just over 22,000 commented signatures asking Rogers to impose fair plans and pricing in line with what is seen with the US and other international countries. [full story]

June 25 - 1:50pm EDT   Bell Canada has been made to disclose figures for the actual congestion of its Internet connections, according to Broadband Reports. The information was demanded by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), which is responding to complaints that Bell has been throttling peer-to-peer traffic -- such as BitTorrent transfers -- as delivered to its ring of wholesale ISPs. By doing so, it is alleged, Bell made it impossible for third parties to compete with Bell's own Sympatico Internet service. The throttling was necessary to cope with network demands, Bell has responded. [full story]

June 20 - 8:50pm EDT   The Supreme Court of Canada on Friday ruled that the $52 billion purchase of Bell Canada is valid, allowing the Canadian telecommunications firm to be owned by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan. CBC reports that BCE stock jumped almost 10-percent as a result, rising $3.35 to close at $37.45 in New York. The deal overturns a previous court decision in the Quebec Court of Appeals, who ruled that the company must consider interests of bondholders. [full story]

June 12 - 2:00pm EDT   The Canadian government's Industry Minister, Jim Prentice, has today officially tabled Bill C-61, a set of proposed amendments to the country's Copyright Act. Early versions of the changes have been criticized by thousands of citizens -- and a number of businesses and other organizations -- as overly harsh, and too close in nature to the United States' Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Prentice has defended amendments as necessary for bringing compliance with the World Intellectual Property Organization treaty Canada signed in 1996. [full story]

June 12 - 12:20am EDT   The Canadian government on Wednesday announced it would hold a press conference regarding pending amendments to the Copyright Act, a move said to resemble the DMCA measure in the US. The conference is set to transpire at 9:30 on Thursday, June 12th for press, with ministerial comments following at 10:45. Press have been advised that no wireless communications devices would be permitted at the assembly, including cell phones, modems, and wireless microphones. [full story]

June 6 - 9:15am EDT   Managers at retail locations of Rogers Wireless, one of Canada's three major cellular companies, are being told not to take vacations during a specific period beginning later this month, a source from within the company claims. The "blackout" stretch is said to extend from June 23rd through July 16th, although no reason for the dates has been given. Apple is widely expected to announce the 3G iPhone on Monday, however, and Rogers has confirmed that it will carry the iPhone "later this year." [full story]

May 30 - 12:50pm EDT   Bell Canada is facing a class-action lawsuit as a result of its Internet access policies, an announcement reveals. A Quebec group called L'Union des consommateurs, along with Bell customer Myrna Raphael, are accusing Bell of false advertising, as a result of its practice of throttling traffic at peak hours. Raphael is said to have signed a three-year ADSL contract in 2006, partly on the basis of Bell's claim of "constant speed" at all times; by enabling throttling last fall, says Raphael, Bell broke its agreement. [full story]

May 29 - 9:30am EDT   A select number of movies should soon be available for sale from the UK and Canadian iTunes Stores, writes The Times. The British newspaper cites studio sources, who claim that Apple has signed new agreements with four major studios: Fox, Disney, Warner Bros. and Paramount. Lionsgate and MGM are also expected to join in the deal, but issues appear to remain with Sony and Universal. Crucially, people should be able to both buy and rent films from iTunes, at prices comparable to the countries' DVD and video-on-demand options. [full story]

May 21 - 9:05am EDT   The first Apple Store in the Canadian city of Vancouver, or its home province of British Columbia, is scheduled to open this Saturday, May 24th. The store is located at 701 West Georgia Street within the Pacific Centre Mall, and on its opening day, will operate from 10AM to 7PM. Sunday hours are 11AM to 6PM; Monday and Tuesday return to the Saturday schedule, but Wednesday throguh Friday, the store will be open until 9PM. [full story]

May 9 - 9:25am EDT   A select number of Canadian iPod owners may soon be eligible for a $45 credit from Apple, says a major regional newspaper. The Montreal Gazette writes that the credit would be applicable only to owners of first-, second- or third-generation iPods, and only those who purchased theirs prior to June 24th, 2004. It is part of Apple's proposed settlement for a pair of lawsuits filed in Montreal and Toronto, under which Apple stood accused of false advertising. [full story]