Senator McCallum: How will intellectual property that is in the laptop be handled?

Senator Gold: Thank you for your question. Again, if I understand how the law operates in practice, if the threshold is met — whatever the threshold is that ultimately is passed into law — that would give the officers at the border the right to search. Of course, if the material that is found contravenes a law, appropriate steps will be taken. Presumably, material that is otherwise not in contravention of any law will be treated with the same and appropriate respect that personal property is and should be treated with under our laws.

Senator McCallum: Can a personal laptop be considered intellectual property, and not a good?

Senator Gold: Thank you for your question. I believe a personal laptop would be considered a good under the definition in the act. Intellectual property typically deals with something that is less tangible, so I’m not sure that it would fall within that definition.