No Royalties On Music Previews
The Supreme Court Of Canada has ruled that music previews comply to the definition of Fair Dealing in the Copyright Act and cannot therefore be subjected to the collection of royalties.
“Research” need not be for creative purposes only. Permitting only creative purposes to qualify as “research” would ignore the fact that one of the objectives of the Copyright Act is the dissemination of the works themselves. Limiting “research” to creative purposes would also run counter to the ordinary meaning of “research”, which includes many activities that do not require the establishment of new facts or conclusions. The fair dealing exception must not be interpreted restrictively and “research” must be given a large and liberal interpretation.
The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada, Canadian Recording Industry Association and CMRRA-SODRAC Inc had wished to collect royalties from internet providers for both previews and full music downloads, the latter also having been dismissed by another ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada today.
These royalties would have resulted in major expenditures for internet providers, who would have passed these on to the consumer.
Canada Day 2012
It’s Canada day so I thought I’d bump some Independent Canadian Artists.
Lately I’ve been partial to electronic pop band Austra but I’ve also been keeping an eye on rock instrumentalists The David Barrett Trio and new wave rockers Metric.
I’ve also recently discovered Young Galaxy, whose catalogue I haven’t yet had the time to listen to thoroughly. But I like what I’ve heard so far on Youtube and their latest single is excellent.
I’ve been meaning to get back into francophone music after hearing Marie-Mai and Cœur de pirate recently. But I’ve unfortunately been quite busy over the past year and a half so I haven’t been keeping track of the music scene in Quebec for some time.
Anglophones may know Cœur de pirate for her Everyday cover on Danone Activia commercials and Ensemble, the song behind this cute viral video.
I’m hoping to find more time to get back to my previous music listening schedule in the next few months. I have quite allot of catching up to do.
BTW, don’t forget to listen to CBC Radio today, which will feature Canadian music all day.
EU Politician Says ACTA Is Dead
Alexander Alvaro, a member of the European Parliament, has issued a statement to Billboard stating that he expects the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement will be rejected by the European Parliament.
The agreement is currently be reviewed by the Committee on International Trade. Additional information can be found here.
Bill C-11 Update
Bill C-11, the Copyright Modernization Act, will be up for its third reading vote by June 18th in the House Of Commons.
No New Postal Import Duty Allowance ?
The duty free allowances for cross-border shoppers will rise on June 1st, 2012. But the duty and tax exemptions for postal importations remain intact.
The 24 hour duty allowance will rise from $50 to $200 whilst the 48 hour duty allowance will rise from $400 to $800.
On postal importations, the duty and tax exemptions remain at $20, $60 on gifts.