Is a hard drive a “document”?
British Columbia, Canada
The following excerpt is from Natural Trade Ltd. v MYL Trading Ltd., 2019 BCSC 1368 (CanLII):
The word “document” is defined broadly in Rule 1-1 to include “a photograph, film, recording of sound, any record of a permanent or semi-permanent character and any information recorded or stored by means of any device.” While a computer hard drive is typically considered to be a receptacle for the storage of documents akin to a filing cabinet, in certain circumstances the hard drive itself may be a “document” subject to production: Chadwick v. Canada (Attorney General), 2008 BCSC 851 at paras. 17-22.
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