Canadian Criminal Provisions Dealing with Telecommunications

CANADIANCRIMINALPROVISIONSDEALINGWITHTELECOMMUNICATIONS

by
Louis-PierreGravelle
*
LEGERROBICRICHARD,Lawyers
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TheCanadianCriminalCode(R.S.C.1985,c.C-46)establishesanumberof
specificoffencesdealingwithtelecommunications,notablytheftofa
telecommunicationservice(s.326)andpossessionofdevicetoobtain
telecommunicationfacilityorservice(s.327)
.Othercriminalprovisionsdealing
withtheunauthorizeduseofacomputerandinvasionofprivacyarebeyond
thescopeofthepresentarticle.
Forthepurposesofthesetwosections,«telecommunication»isdefinedas
anytransmission,emissionorreceptionofsigns,signals,writing,imagesor
soundsorintelligenceofanynaturebywire,radio,visual,orotherelectro-
magneticsystem,whichencompassesinexhaustivemanneranyformof
communicationatadistance(s.326(2)).
Theftoftelecommunicationservicewilloccurwhenanyperson,ina
fraudulentormaliciousmanner,orwithoutcolourofright,(1)uses,consumes
orabstractselectricityorgas,orcausesittobewastedordiverted;or(2)
usesanytelecommunicationfacilityorobtainsanytelecommunication
service.Accordingly,theapplicationofthissectionwillbetriggeredbythe
merefactoffallingwithinoneofthecircumstancesstatedabove.Thestate
ofmindoftheaccusedisunimportant,buttheactmustbefraudulent,
maliciousorwithoutcolourofright.Thesectionimposesareversalofthe
burdenofproof,sothatitisuptothedefendanttoprovethatheorshehas
«colourofright»totheuseofthetelecommunicationservice,orthattheuse
isnotfraudulentormalicious.Itisimportanttonotethattheconditionswith
respecttothetakingorconversionarenotcumulative,butratherareinthe
alternative,sothattheactdoesnothavetobefraudulent,maliciousand
withoutcolourofright;onlyoneoftheseisnecessary.
AnexampleofthedefinitionoffraudulentlycanbefoundinthecaseofR.v.
Miller(1984),12C.C.C.(3d)466(AlbertaCourtofAppeal).Theaccusedwere



















































©LEGERROBICRICHARD,1998-1999.*Lawyerandpatentagent,Louis-PierreGravelleisaseniorpartnerinthelawfirmLEGER
ROBICRICHARD,g.p.andinthepatentandtrademarkagencyfirmROBIC,g.p.Publication
222.003.

subscriberstoacabletelevisionservicebuthaddifficultieswiththe
reception.Thehusbandmodifiedtheirtelevisionsettoinprovethereception
witha«tunablestub»,withtheresultthatthereceptionimproved.However,
the«tunablestub»hadtheadditionaleffectofperfectingthereceptionofa
pay-TVchannel,whichisotherwisescrambledandcanbeobtainedby
paymentofanextrafeeforanappropriatedecoder.Theallegedoffence
wastheuseofthepay-TVchannelwithoutpaymentfortheservice.The
CourtofAppealheldthattheCriminalCodedoesnotseektocriminalizethe
retentionofanunpaidsignal.Onthecontrary,theCodecondemnsthe
fraudulentormaliciousobtentionofasignalwithoutcolourofright.Itisthe
acquisitionororiginalreceiptofthesignalwhichmustbetouchedwiththe
intentiontosteal.Accordingly,theCourtheldthatiftheserviceisprocured
withoutafraudulentactonthepartoftheuser,thennooffenceis
established.Inanothercase,R.v.Renz(1974),18C.C.C(2d)492(British
ColumbiaCourtofAppeals),itwasheldthatthecriteriaof«fraud»requires
anintentionalanddeliberateact,withtheknowledgethatthepersonwas
notpermittedtoobtaintheserviceinthewaythatitwasobtained.
Althoughtheexpression«telecommunicationfacility»portendstobebroad
initsapplication,inR.v.McLaughlin(1980),18C.R.(3d)339(SupremeCourt
ofCanada),itwasheldthatacomputerterminalwasnota
telecommunicationfacility,sincetelecommunicationconnotessometypeof
externaltransmissionorreceptionandtheexistenceofasenderanda
receiver.Inthiscase,itwasheldthatthepurposeofthissection(thens.287)
wasthetheftofinformationfromafacilityfromwhichtheinformationis
channelled.Thefunctionofacomputer,accordingtotheCourt,isnotthe
channellingofinformationtooutsiderecipientssoastobesusceptibleto
unauthorizeduse,butratherpermitthemakingofcomplexclaculationsand
toprocess,correlate,storeandretrieveinformation.Onemightwonderifthis
decisionisstillvalid,particularlywiththeadventoftheInternet,and
computernetworksingeneral,sincetheInternetdoesincludesomesortof
externaltransmissionorreceptionthroughacommoncarrier(suchasan
InternetProvider),anddoesincludetheexistenceofasenderanda
receiver.Itissubmittedthat,althoughtheCriminalCodedoesincludean
offencedealingwiththeunauthorizeduseofacomputer(s.342.1),the
offencedescribedins.326mightbeacomplementtoit.
Possessionofadevicetoobtainatelecommunicationfacilityorserviceis
definedinsection327,andisacomplementtotheoffenceoftheftofa
telecommunicationdevice.Theoffenceconsistsofthemanufacture,
possession,saleorofferforsaleordistributionofanyinstrumentordeviceor
anycomponentthereof,thedesignofwhichrendersitprimarilyusefulfor
obtainingtheuseofanytelecommunicationfacilityorservice,under
circumstancesthatgiverisetoareasonableinferencethatthedevicehas
beenusedorisorwasintendedtobeusedtoobtaintheuseofany
telecommunicationfacilityorservicewithoutpaymentforalawfulcharge
therefor.Thepreambleofthesectionalsocontainstheaddedelementthat

thepersonmustbeinpossessionofthedevicewithoutlawfulexcuse.Again,
theburdenofproofliesonthedefendanttoshowlawfulexcuse.Thesection
furtherprovidesthatanyinstrumentofdeviceinrelationtowhichtheoffence
wascommitedwillbeforfeitedtotheCrown.However,theforfeituredoes
notextendinrespectofpropertyoftelecommunicationcommoncarriers
whoarenotpartiestotheoffence.
Thefactthatadevicecouldbemodifiedtoachievesomeotherpurpose
doesnotmeettherequirementsofthissectionwithoutadequateproofthat
suchmodificationshavebeenmade,wherethedevicehadinfactbeen
modifiedinamannerwhichachievedtheunlawfulpurpose(seeR.v.Ross
(1988),32O.A.C.47(OntarioCourtofAppeal)).Furthermore,theoffencewill
bemetwhereapersonpossessesthedeviceforstoragepurposesunder
circumstancesgivingrisetoareasonableinferencethatthepersonknows
thattheintendeduseofthedevicesbyotherpersonsistounlawfullyobtain
televisionsignals.However,theintendedusedoesnothavetobebythe
personstoringthedevices(seeR.v.Fulop(1988),46C.C.C.(3d)427(Ontario
CourtofAppeal)).
Itshouldbenotedthatthereisverylittlejurisprudenceonthesesections,and
moretothepoint,verylittlerecentjurisprudenceofnote.Theoriginal
purposeofthesesectionswastodealwiththetheftoftelecommunication
services,suchastheillegalconnectionofatelephonetoacable.However,
theexplosionoftheInternet,orcomputernetworksingeneral,aswellas
wirelesscommunicationsthroughcellulartelephonesorPCSmayserveto
broadentheapplicationofthesesections.

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