Jury out on what Digital Privacy Act does to privacy, copyright

The Digital Privacy Act, the government’s most recent attempt to update the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), has experts disagreeing about the effect it could have on disclosure of information by telecommunications companies and whether the legislation would open the door for “U.S.-style copyright trolls.”

Canada needs stronger IP defences: Balsillie

Canadian companies need to build their capacity for defending patents and asserting intellectual property rights in order to build more technology success stories like the company he founded, Research in Motion (now BlackBerry Ltd.) founder Jim Balsillie told a conference in Toronto, according to the Globe & Mail.

VMedia offers cloudy version of IPTV

George Burger wants to give Canadians a more streamlined television experience, yet analysts say the high-tech Internet-protocol TV offerings from his VMedia Inc. might have limited appeal.

The IPTV service from VMedia now includes a cloud-based PVR, the company announced last week.

Geneviève Côté takes on key SOCAN role in Quebec

The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) said Thursday that Geneviève Côté has been appointed its chief of Quebec affairs.

SOCAN said the newly created position will see Côté reporting directly to CEO Eric Baptiste, and raising the awareness of SOCAN and its issues among Quebec’s politicians, journalists and stakeholders.

Government’s long-awaited digital strategy ‘nothing new’: analyst

A document released by Industry Minister James Moore Friday that outlines the government’s long-promised digital strategy includes “nothing new and nothing bold,” according to telecom analyst Jean-Francois Mezei of Vaxination Informatique.

The government has already put in place many of the measures included in the strategy, Mezei said, making the document “more of a report card than a vision for the future.”

Streaming services need certainty to thrive: Songza exec

OTTAWA — Canada’s regulatory environment doesn’t promote technological innovation in the music industry, and that’s part of the reason why streaming services here are lagging behind their U.S. counterparts, said Vanessa Thomas, managing director for Canada at Songza Media Inc.

Thomas made the remarks Tuesday while speaking by video link to a House of Commons heritage committee meeting, which is undertaking a review of the Canadian music industry.

Internet hasn’t killed the radio star: CRTC

OTTAWA — The CRTC’s head of broadcasting says radio revenue does not appear to be suffering as a result of competition from Internet-based streaming services.

Scott Hutton, the commission’s executive director of broadcasting, was speaking Thursday at a House of Commons heritage committee meeting, which is undertaking a review of the Canadian music industry.

Rivals must collaborate on ‘TV everywhere’ offerings: Bell exec

As Canadian television providers have rolled out their TV-everywhere strategies, aimed at fighting off over-the-top (OTT) competition by making content easier to access online, customers can be forgiven if they’re left somewhat confused.

Viacom, Google settle copyright lawsuit

Google Inc. and Viacom Inc. have settled a copyright lawsuit relating the uploading of content owned by the latter on Google’s YouTube platform, the company’s said in a joint news release issued last week.

Terms of settlement were not disclosed.

“This settlement reflects the growing collaborative dialogue between our two companies on important opportunities, and we look forward to working more closely together,” the companies said in the release issued on March 18.

U.S. music creators to face limited payment rights in Canada

The government of Canada plans to limit the remuneration rights of music creators in the United States, among other countries, when it ratifies the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT), which was adopted in late 1996.

A March 1 entry in the Canada Gazette said there will be limitations for rights holders in the U.S. and several other countries that don’t offer similar rights to Canadian rights holders.

The provision would apply to Section 19 of the Copyright Act, the notice said.

Tanya Woods leaving Bell for gaming association

ACTRA, CMPA among organizations opposing Aereo

Canadian groups including the actors’ union ACTRA, the Canadian Media Production Association, and the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) have joined in filing a brief in a U.S. Supreme Court case concerning Aereo Inc.’s TV service.

U.S. studios and broadcasters are challenging Aereo’s usage of dime-sized antennas to pick up TV programming without a licence, Barry Sookman, a partner with McCarthy Tetrault in Toronto and one of the co-authors of the brief, said in a blog post Monday.

TekSavvy ordered to turn over subscriber info to Voltage

A Canadian Internet service provider is being required by court order to give information on its subscribers linked with illegal filesharing to a Hollywood production company, and advocates on both sides of the issue are expressing appreciation for the decision.

The Federal Court issued a decision Thursday ordering ISP TekSavvy Solutions Inc. to turn over the names and addresses of about 2,000 subscribers to Voltage Pictures LLC.

Content collectives ask for court review of Copyright Board ruling

At least two content collectives are asking the Federal Court of Appeal to review a decision the Copyright Board made in November regarding interest payments in the reallocation of tariffs for distant television and radio signals for the years 2009 to 2013.

Bill C-8 passes committee with some amendments

The Conservative government’s new anti-counterfeiting bill passed committee stage with amendments and was referred back to the House of Commons for further debate, a parliamentary committee said.

Music rightsholders, service providers tackle tariff rates at Copyright Board

Royalty rates and how they might apply to music-streaming services—including those that have yet to come to Canada—are poised to be a significant part of hearings at the Copyright Board of Canada over the next two weeks.

On Tuesday, the board heard opening arguments from lawyers representing those that create and hold rights to music, as well as from lawyers representing Apple Inc. and Pandora Media Inc., which indicated they are considering launching their streaming music services in Canada.

U.S., Canada clash over copyright at TPP negotiations, WikiLeaks shows

A draft of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, leaked Wednesday, shows that the U.S. and Canada have found themselves at odds over copyright issues during the negotiating process.

Rightsholders, CBSA to work together under anti-counterfeit bill

Bill C-8, the Combating Counterfeit Products Act, will allow rightsholders to work more closely with border guards and law enforcement agencies by preventing counterfeit goods from entering the country, Industry Minister James Moore said. 

NGN, Riding drop filesharing case against Distributel

NGN Prima Productions Inc. and Riding Films Inc. dropped a court motion that sought to compel Distributel Communications Inc. to identify its Internet customers whose accounts had been linked to peer-to-peer filesharing.

Experts call for sweeping review of Copyright Board

The Conservative government should launch a major review of the Copyright Board of Canada, looking at its role and mandate as new technologies change the distribution of copyrighted works, experts said.

In interviews with The Wire Report, Carys Craig, an associate professor at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School, Ariel Katz, an associate professor in the faculty of law at the University of Toronto, and Howard Knopf, a copyright lawyer with Macera & Jarzyna, LLP in Ottawa, criticized the Copyright Board and said they support a review.

MPAA, in sending anti-piracy message, could go after isoHunt assets

Gary Fung and his company isoHunt Web Technologies Inc. are not likely to hand over $110 million US to a group of American movie studios.

That’s the sum of the damages awarded to members of the Motion Picture Association of America in a court settlement announced on Oct. 17, under which Vancouver-based isoHunt agreed to halt its operations around the world, though it’s not very likely the Canadian founder of one of the world’s largest BitTorrent trackers will be able to pay.

Basskin retiring from CMRRA

David Basskin is retiring as president and CEO of the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency after 24 years with the copyright collective.

His retirement is effective Sept. 30, the CMRRA, which licenses the reproduction of songs, said in a release this week.

Copyright Board updates private copying levy

The Copyright Board issued its first decision on private copying since the Conservative government introduced regulations to exempt memory cards from the levy.

Prorogation to lead to renewed calls for speedy privacy reform

The federal privacy commissioner and an NDP MP said they will urge the government to shift gears on privacy reform in light of the death of the government’s privacy bill as a result of prorogation.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper told reporters in Whitehorse this week that he will ask the Governor General to prorogue Parliament in advance of MPs' return to the House of Commons this fall, a move that will effectively kill all government bills tabled in Parliament and not yet passed into law.

Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo, argue against new music download royalty

Apple Inc., Microsoft Inc., Yahoo! Inc. and Canada's largest Internet and mobile wireless providers said the Conservative government's amendments to the Copyright Act last year did not create a new right for the collection of online music royalties.

ACTA bill debated at second reading

Anti-counterfeiting bill clears path for ACTA ratification, experts say

Government legislation tabled in the House of Commons Friday will position Canada to ratify the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) as other countries back away from the deal, the bill’s critics said. 

Distributel fights court case for customer info

Small ISP Distributel Communications Inc. is opposing a court motion by NGN Prima Productions Inc. and Riding Films Inc. for the names and addresses of Internet customers connected to the filesharing of three films through peer-to-peer networks.

CIPPIC asks to intervene in Voltage-TekSavvy case

A Federal Court judge adjourned a hearing to determine whether TekSavvy Solutions Inc. must turn over 1,100 of its customers’ names to Voltage Pictures LLP as the court prepares to hear arguments as to whether the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) can intervene in the case.

TekSavvy customers concerned about privacy should show up at court hearing, ISP says

TekSavvy Solutions Inc. customers who are concerned about their privacy should show up at a court hearing Monday to defend themselves against Voltage Pictures LLC's motion to obtain subscriber information associated with file sharing, said Marc Gaudrault, CEO of small ISP TekSavvy.

Mobile carriers sue SOCAN for return of $15M in ringtone royalties

Major Canadian mobile carriers launched lawsuit against copyright collective the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), seeking the return of $15 million in royalty payments for ringtone downloads.

Copyright Board cancels distant signal hearing due to settlement

Copyright collectives reached a settlement Friday related to broadcast distributors' carriage of television program copyrights.

The settlement led the Copyright Board to cancel a hearing on the allocation of royalties that was scheduled to start this week.

Bill C-11 to become law next week; consultation on notice-and-notice, sources say

Most of the Conservative government's copyright reform bill, C-11, will come into force next week as other sections are expected to be delayed until next year, industry sources and observers said.

Copyright Board issues online music tariffs

The Copyright Board issued a decision on new online music tariffs for the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) covering the years 2007-2010 and for CMRRA/SODRAC Inc. (CSI) covering 2008-2010.

Copyright Board hearing on Re:Sound tariff starts Monday

The Copyright Board opens a hearing Monday on copyright collective Re:Sound's application for tariffs on simulcasting and webcasting services.

The hearing is scheduled to start Monday and will continue until Oct. 5, according to an agenda obtained from the Copyright Board.

Witnesses include officials from Oakland, Calif.-based Pandora Media Inc., Re:Sound, the National Campus and Community Radio Association, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, CBC/Radio-Canada, and other experts.

Canadians fourth for ‘unauthorized’ music downloads: MusicMetric

Canadians download more unauthorized music through the BitTorrent file-sharing network than consumers in all but three other countries, a new Digital Music Index study from MusicMetric said.

According to the study of worldwide BitTorrent trends, 405 million music releases were downloaded around the globe during the first six months of 2012. Of those, 23,959,924 occurred in Canada, the study said, placing Canada behind the U.S., the U.K. and Italy in download volume.

WIPO copyright committee meets, U.S., South Africa push for online signal protections

The United States and South Africa continued to push for protections against online signal piracy as part of the proposed World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Broadcasting Treaty, which delegates discussed this week at the WIPO copyright committee in Geneva, Switzerland.

The U.S. delegation at the committee said the treaty must be “technologically neutral” and address online signal theft and webcasting piracy.

CETA Internet provisions ‘completely’ changed since February: EU

The leaked February draft of Canada’s trade agreement with the EU is now “completely outdated” as the current version does not contain the most contested provisions of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), EU trade spokesman John Clancy said in an emailed statement.

“The accusations are nonsense. A future EU-Canada trade deal will be very similar to the bilateral trade deal with South Korea already up and running for a year and which has not brought about the end of a free Internet,” Clancy said.

ACTA now in CETA, critics take aim at new enforcement measures

Paradis to introduce regs to block possible memory card levy

OTTAWA—The Conservative government will put regulations in place to exempt microSD memory cards from a possible copyright levy, Industry Minister Christian Paradis said Tuesday.

C-11 receives royal assent

Federal legislation to update Canada’s copyright regime received royal assent Friday after passing through the Senate unchanged.

Bill C-11, the Copyright Modernization Act, passed third reading in the Senate after the committee studying the bill reported it back to the upper chamber without any amendments or recommendations.

The federal cabinet must now issue a governor-in-council decision to determine when provisions and sections of the omnibus copyright bill come into force.

Rogers to probably trial network PVR service under revamped copyright regime

Rogers Communications Inc. will probably conduct a “small trial” of network personal video recorder (PVR) services to test the new copyright regime if there are no amendments to clarify Bill C-11's approach to the services, Ken Engelhart, Rogers’ senior vice-president of regulatory affairs, said at a Senate committee meeting Tuesday.

Senate committee studies Bill C-11, set to wrap up next week

The Senate Standing Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce heard from 22 witnesses Friday in the second of three days of scheduled meetings to finish up with the Conservative government's omnibus copyright bill before Parliament's summer recess.

Government consulting on copyright distant signal regs

Industry Canada and Canadian Heritage are consulting on changes to the local and distant signal regulations under the Copyright Act, a departmental letter said.

TPP agreement will mean further amendments to Copyright Act, critics say

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Copyright Board postpones hearing on streaming services

The Copyright Board has postponed a hearing scheduled for next week due to a possible settlement between the parties involved in the proposed tariff.

Bill C-11 to pass this spring, Tories say

The federal government’s copyright modernization bill will proceed towards two final debates in the House of Commons next week, Government House Leader Peter Van Loan said Thursday.

TV distributors say Bill C-11 may hinder more efficient network PVR services

Television distributors that offer personal video recorder (PVR) services say the Conservative government's copyright reform Bill C-11 could prevent the launch of TV recording and playback services stored on their own networks.