Michael Geist posted an assessment of the reports, drawing attention to the questionable methodology employed. The conclusions were drawn through a selective reading of data, with some data prepared by copyright industry associations. One of the reports, National Innovation Performance and Intellectual Property Rights, states that Canada ranks 19th worldwide. As Prof. Geist writes, "...the report fails to mention that Canada was actually tied with four other countries ranked 15th to 19th including the United States, which in the same paragraph is heralded as a leader in innovation whereas Canada is described a laggard."
Prof. Geist takes no prisoners and ably shows that the Digital Economy report borrowed heavily from the work of the International Intellectual Property Alliance without paying much attention to the courtesy of proper citation. In their rebuttal the Conference Board attempts to distance themselves from the charge of plagiarism. Moreover, they state "This report was produced as contract research. The Conference Board does not disclose the terms of its contracts without permission of the client." An ironic remark, given that Ontario taxpayers provided part of the funding for this venture.
