Entertainment Software Association: is the presumption of conformity progressive or conservative?

Summary: In Entertainment Software Association, the Federal Court of Appeal rejected an interpretation of the Copyright Modernization Act that would have conformed with a treaty that the Act was seemingly intended to implement. The court’s skepticism of international law as an interpretive consideration verged on hostility. I argue here that rejecting the presumption of conformity in the interpretation of statutes neglects the separation of powers and risks judicial incursion into the executive’s conduct of foreign affairs.

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