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Copyrights and regulated markets |
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Vested interest have done their best to cloud counterfeiting of Intellectual property, a Government granted monopoly, with the counterfeiting of physical property which can put lives at risk. Other related definitions: Oligopoly Free market Regulated market |
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Hollywood north upset at corporate welfare rules TORONTO - Canada's film and television industry is screaming censorship over a government plan to cut tax credits for productions with graphic scenes of sex and violence, warning the plan could water down edgy Canadian films. (Reuters) MORE: There are some films Ottawa shouldn't bankroll
OTTAWA - As Canada's top privacy watchdog, Privacy Commissioner of Canada Jennifer Stoddart regularly appears before House of Commons committee hearings to identify the privacy implications of government bills. Late last week, Stoddart went one step further by warning against the potential negative privacy impact of legislation that has yet to be tabled. In a public letter to Industry Minister Jim Prentice and Canadian Heritage Minister Josée Verner, Stoddart cautioned against using forthcoming copyright legislation to undermine privacy. (Tyee) PREVIOUS: The copyright MPs The concerns of copyright reform Identity, privacy and the need of others to know who you are Security concerns, technological advances threaten privacy
Johnson & Johnson sues Red Cross over use of Cross Emblem NEW YORK - Johnson & Johnson (founded 1886), the health-products giant that uses a red cross as its trademark, sued the American Red Cross, demanding that the charity halt the use of the red cross symbol on products it sells to the public. (AP) MORE: International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (founded Oct. 29, 1863)
OTTAWA - At the heart of counterfeiting debate are repeated claims that it is a growing problem in Canada that results in billions of dollars in losses each year. Responding to an Access to Information Act request for the sources behind the $30 billion claim, Canada's national police force last week admitted the figures were based on "open source documents found on the Internet." (Toronto Star) |
Unique voices silenced by copyrights TORONTO - Documentary filmmakers say it's getting tougher to make independent productions because of growing restrictions on what images and sounds they can use. The battle over rights issues was a hot topic of discussion at Toronto's Hot Docs Film Festival, where a session last week about fair use was packed with filmmakers from around the world. (CBC) RELATED: Champagne, Switzerland, can't use its own name
Net firms quizzed on speed limits LONDON - Bosses at six of the UK's top net providers are being asked to explain why consumers do not get the broadband speeds firms advertise. The six executives are being questioned by Ofcom's Consumer Panel which acts as the regulator's customer champion. (BBC) RELATED: Internet pirates could be banned from web Internet users could be banned More music industry internet idiocy
Mint wants $48,000 for use of penny pic TORONTO - The City of Toronto says the Royal Canadian Mint wants almost $48,000 in compensation after the city used the image of a penny in a prominent ad campaign, without proper authorization. (CTV) Egypt to copyright pyramids Rwandan gorilla seen as copyright opportunity
Hands off our emblem, Canada tells illicit users OTTAWA - The federal government is spending nearly a quarter of a million dollars a year chasing down people who take Canada's name in vain, and making them stop. (Ottawa Citizen)
There's some funny business going on at the CBC…and we're not talking about a new sitcom here. Last month, a good chunk of the publicly-owned company's catalogue of TV shows was sold to ContentFilm, which is headquartered in Britain. (Vancouver Province) PREVIOUS: CBC blasted for selling off catalogue |
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Tories blink on copyright law change OTTAWA - Kempton Lam, Corey Doctorow, Michael Geist, and Howard Knopf aren't exactly familiar names in Ottawa's political power circles. But yesterday, those four -- along with thousands of other Canadians -- managed to throw a spanner into the works of the Harper government. (Ottawa Citizen) Turning Canadians into criminals Canadian DMCA: What you can do |
New levies proposed for iPods and memory cards Heavy levies could arrive for iPods, memory cards in 2008 Tories blink on copyright law change Copyright court fight leads 2008 playlist Opposition seems to have blindsided Prentice Prentice to unveil his answer to copyright law disputes |
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GATINEAU - On one hand, Jim Shaw (Shaw) and Ted Rogers (Rogers), who have become billionaires thanks to federally legislated cable monopolies, told the CRTC cable operators should be subject to less regulation. On the other hand, Ivan Fecan and Leonard Asper the CEO's of CTV Globemedia and CanWest Global respectively, who companies earned billions thanks to protectionist laws forbidding US programming and commercials, argued for more regulations. While the cable billionaires and broadcasters cried poverty during three weeks of CRTC discussions, little was said about the high costs of cable and satellite television in Canada or what policies were in best interests of the Canadian consumer. (Digital Home) Rogers seals iPhone deal, profit doubles Good and bad as CRTC hearings wrap up Regulator sets conditions for deal Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan |
Television welfare money on the line Are you getting what you're paying for? Speedtest.net Canadian Consumer Handbook 2007 Rogers accused of hijacking other web pages Rogers website messages irk Google Is Rogers hijacking the Internet? It's hard to regulate an industry Telephone companies get full access to markets Time to revamp mobile Internet pricing The high cost of Canadian wireless |
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Bell Sympatico 62% approval rating CRTC 2007 annual report on Canadian broadcasting Canada adds new tax on downloaded MP3 files Comcast blocks some Internet traffic Apple iPhone warning proves true Savy cellphone users break free Hackers who modify iPhones could face legal battle Unlocking the iPhone could invite DMCA suit Why Apple Can't stop iPhone hackers |
Canadian Telecom complaints commission US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) Mr. Rogers vs. the 'corporate bums' Limit access to wireless spectrum, Rogers says Court certifies class-action cellphone suit How the CRTC killed Canadian drama Channel gone? Could be the cable 'ladder' Subscription fees 'trash,' Rogers tells CRTC |
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New group aims to 'save the Internet' WASHINGTON - Days before a congressional committee is set to vote on overhaul of the nation's telecommunications policy, a broad coalition of media, consumer and Internet groups has organized behind a dramatic tagline: "Save the Internet." (C/Net) |
Net neutrality or playing favourites on the Net Time Warner AOL & Yahoo to charge for e-mail |
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Ontario hospital sued by Bayer THUNDER BAY - A major pharmaceutical company has taken the unusual step of suing an Ontario hospital for patent infringement, alleging the institution effectively duplicated a patented Bayer Inc. antibiotic by diluting a more concentrated, generic version of the same drug. (National Post) |
Fight for public domain goes on Digital archivists aren't giving up on their efforts to free out-of-print books, movies and music from overreaching copyright laws, despite a recent setback in court. Now, out-of-print albums and books -- many of which are not commercially viable -- are simply rotting away unused, but are still protected by copyright. (Wired) |
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A privately held company formed to hold various patents is suing Research In Motion Ltd., alleging the BlackBerry-maker infringed on one of its patents. California-based Minerva Industries Inc. is seeking a "reasonable royalty" of 5% to 7% of wholesale BlackBerry sales retroactive to 2004, Minerva's lawyer, Marc Fenster, said yesterday. (Financial Post) |
About face on US patent decisions Whatever anyone might say about the Eastern District of Texas, the jurisdiction did provide one key ingredient to companies that litigated patent disputes there. That ingredient was certainty, a fairly rare commodity in the courts. Plaintiffs who were patent holders knew they were almost certain to win, and defendants accused of being infringers were almost certain to lose. (Financial Post) |
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RIM faces fresh patent lawsuit 'Patent Trolls' may live or die by ebay ruling |
TorrentSpy loses Calif. copyright lawsuit BlackBerry Deal: Patently absurd RIM pays $612M to settle US suit |
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Mayor seeks to trademark 'EcoDensity' VANCOUVER - Want to use the term EcoDensity? Better watch out. Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan is about to gain exclusive rights to it, if his application to the Canada Intellectual Property Office goes through without opposition this week. (Vancouver Sun) RELATED: Vancouver: Canada's counterfeit capital |
WASHINGTON - This fall, the British aren't coming. Immigration restrictions are stopping some popular UK acts from reaching US borders. Part of the problem, immigration specialists say: The traditional visa system isn't set up to cope with the new face of popular music. (Wall Street Journal) MORE: US officials not big fans of music blogs |
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Search engines challenged on 'theft' A group of newspaper, magazine and book publishers is accusing Google and other aggregators of online news stories of unfairly exploiting their content. They are demanding compensation from search engines. (Financial Times) |
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Court of appeal rejects iPod levy OTTAWA - The Federal Court of Appeal has rejected a controversial levy that would have raised the price of MP3 players, cell phones and computers. The FCA said the Copyright Board - a regulatory body that determines royalties for copyrighted works - did not have the authority to impose the levy on digital recorders. (CBC) Canadian Songwriters Propose Legal Music Sharing Fee Feds query labels about music prices Teen accuses record companies of collusion Sony BMG drop music copy protection MP3s illegal, grounds for lawsuit Music Industry Needs Dose Of Innovation Copyright will soon see its name in lights Death of the record label and RIAA Hairdresser balks at order to pay SOCAN seeks tariff on cellphone rightones Jury finds Thomas liable for infringement Recording Industry vs. The People |
Warner, Paramount set DVD price BEIJING - Paramount Pictures will sell DVDs through Warner Bros. outlets in China as the Hollywood rivals join forces to fight rampant movie piracy by bringing low-cost legitimate goods quickly to market, the studios said Wednesday. Warner, Paramount and Paramount's DreamWorks affiliate will sell new titles for $3US in China as little as two months after their US theatrical release, the companies said. They said that will be the earliest release and lowest price in any market worldwide. (AP) EU court says file sharers don't have to be named EU reaches ITunes deal with Apple Man charged for taping movie at theatre Fox expands digital copy to iTunes 50% of movie piracy from Canada: Hollywood Digital deterrents drive fans away New bill would punish students who don't become copyright cops BC man takes on Hollywood in piracy case RCMP charges Quebec man for film piracy |
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Oligopoly Watch: Music Industry Oligopoly Watch: Movie Industry Hollywood puts squeeze on Canada YouTube cuts 29,549 'illegal' clips Bit brother sees Internet as up for grabs Music Companies grab share of YouTube sale |
Sony BMG Music agree to 'payola' settlement Sony settles payola investigation Price-fixing against major record companies Time Warner settles fraud charges Copyright walks fine line on civil liberties Be loyal, kind and don't steal movies |
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Barenaked guide to music copyright reform Canadian Music Creators Coalition Canadian record label taking on the RIAA Spitzer subpoenas companies price-fixing $50M in royalties returned to artists More pain for Sony over CD code |
Woman takes on Recording industry alone Grandpa sued for grandson's downloads |
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