J.R.McHale

Europe’s other problem: where are all the tech startups? European leaders want you to ‘test your own wings,’ but there are systemic headwinds getting in the way – at The Verge:

As noted in The Verge article, regulatory fragmentation is a big part of the problem in Europe – the need to comply with a patchwork of diverse regulations across the continent. This is also increasingly becoming a problem here in the United States with, for example, both federal and state-by-state privacy, data and similar regulations, which impose significant legal, compliance and related costs on startups.

Want To End The Litigation Epidemic? Create Lawsuit-Free Zones – LawProf Eric Goldman at Forbes.com:

”[F]inding ways to dial down litigation might be the best ‘jobs stimulus’ effort our legislators could undertake. The way to create lawsuit-free zones is through ‘immunities’ and ‘safe harbors.’ Immunities categorically eliminate legal liability in the specified contexts. Safe harbors allow defendants to avoid liability if they take the specified steps. Both help motivate socially beneficial and job-creating activity.”

Some Recent Canadian Tech Links:

Toronto Life: How big wireless companies, the banks, and even the actors’ union are keeping [Canada’s] mobile bills the highest in the world

WordsByNowak: The world’s worst throttler (officially): [Canada’s] Rogers

Michael Geist: RIM’s Woes Partly Based on Canadian Telecom Policy

styckyd: How the Payment Processing Industry in Canada is Halting Innovation

Ars Technica: Law & Disorder: Canadian Supreme Court rules you can’t defame someone with a hyperlink

Mark Evans Tech: Do Canadian Startups Get Enough Attention?

tech vibes: Canada’s Top 100 Startups

Canadian StartUp Blogs:

StartupNorth

tech vibes

Maple Butter

StartupCFO

Photo copyright © 2011 j.r.mchale

The Globe and Mail: Toronto’s Transformation to Silicon Valley North: “’There’s a new emergent scene going on in Toronto,’ says David Crow, a strategist for Microsoft, and a long-time organizer of the city’s tech community. ‘We have great talent and great opportunity.’ After years of nurturing a tight-knit tech community, Toronto seems to be reaching a critical mass – not just of homegrown companies, conferences, and networks, but of ties to a global industry.”

See also:
Techcrunch: Canada Now Somewhat Less Anti-Startup: “Canada isn’t shy about making life difficult for startups … [b]ut a change in Canadian tax law last week is designed to spur U.S. venture investments in Canadian startups and make Canada less of a leper colony for tech entrepreneurs. The change allows foreign investors in most Canadian startups to avoid ‘literally hundreds of pages of documents’ to be filed and processed on a sale of a startup, sometimes by each limited partner in a venture fund. That burden meant that most venture firms simply ignored the Canadian market.”

VC Experts: Canada’s Federal Budget Scores in Overtime for the Technology Community

Photo © 2010 j.r.mchale.