CNM Short Takes

D-Box sets up high profile advisory committeeD-Box Technology Inc. has announced the creation of an advisory committee comprised of: Leon F. Gosselin, president and CEO of Axcan Pharma Inc.; Peter Morand, president and CEO of the Canadian Science and Technology Growth Fund Inc.; and Edward Jung, co-founder of Intellectual Ventures. This committee is expected to help accelerate D-Box’s growth in the $11-billion home theatre equipment market in North America. Yankee Group: Americans Internet price sensitiveThe Yankee Group report 2003 TAF Survey Findings Highlight the Consumer Market’s Competitive Challenges finds U.S. consumers have difficulty distinguishing between high-speed Internet options. The report also notes that while interest in high-speed services is growing, dial-up consumers remain price sensitive, with only 17% of consumers likely to subscribe to broadband at $45 per month. Yankee Group also finds that 71% of Internet customers say they would switch to broadband if it were available at a lower price. Sarbakan finishes production on Warner Bros. gamesSarbakan, a Canadian idea shop and digital creation studio, has recently finished production on a collection of new online games featuring three of Warner Bros. Online’s top properties: Batman, Scooby-Doo and Looney Toons. Three new mini-games are scheduled to go live on Scooby-Doo’s web site over the next few weeks; the Looney Toons will have four mini-games and Batman will have his own game, which will be titled Batman: Ice Age, and will be on Warner Bros.’ web site within the month. Paltalk files to register trademark New York NY-based Paltalk Holdings Inc. has filed to register a trademark for the term "Communication Beyond Words." The filing is in connection with "computer software allowing for spontaneous real time audio/video conversations over a global computer network." An identical trademark application was also filed by the company in the U.S. European music file- sharers face legal actionThe Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) supported its European counterparts when they announced they will take legal action against 247 individuals for illegally sharing music files in Denmark, Germany and Italy. The London-based International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is representing the recording industry worldwide, and says legal actions come only after a sustained educational effort by the music industry. The industry blames the extensive trade of free music on the Internet for contributing to a five-year slide in music sales and believes that unless it threatens the biggest file-traders with lawsuits, fans will never buy songs on the Internet in meaningful numbers. New software provides precise Internet searchingIT Interactive Services Inc., Halifax, and Visicom Media Inc., Brossard QC, have jointly announced the launch of SmartGenie.com. The Internet software initiative is an online technology tool that will provide Internet users with a sophisticated way of browsing and retrieving online information. The SmartGenie installs into the user’s web browser and enables the user to precisely target their online searches by specifying a category. Computer, peripheral prices down from DecemberPrices for commercial computers in January 2004, as measured by Statistics Canada’s Computer and Peripherals Price Indexes, fell 2.3% compared with December 2003. Desktop computers were down 3.7%, portables 1.7% and servers remained unchanged. Consumer computers, ones purchased by consumers and small businesses, decreased 4.7%, desktops 6.2% and portables by 3%. Monitor prices fell 1.4% and printers remained unchanged from December. Ravenshoe files for trademarkA Markham ON-based company, Ravenshoe Creative Inc., has filed for a trademark for the term "Lobby Vision". The mark would be used in conjunction with wares listed as "media video board presentations." The communications group already provides a full portfolio of writing, marketing, photography, multimedia and other services (www.ravenshoegroup.com). CRTC continues to turn deaf ear to requests from Bell FundThe CRTC continued to turn down requests to alter a funding formula that drastically cut the money flowing into the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund in renewing the broadcast licence of direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV distributor Bell ExpressVu LP from April 1, 2004 to Aug. 31, 2010 (Broadcasting Decision 2004-129). In the decision released March 31, the commission stated it "considers it important that funding not be diverted from the Canadian Television Fund or the small market fund. The commission also notes that the requirement to devote 5% of annual gross revenues derived from broadcasting activities to Canadian programming is a minimum requirement, and that ExpressVu may continue to support the Bell Fund at the level that was in effect previous to the issuance of Decision 2003-257, if it so chooses." As a result of that decision, ExpressVu was mandated to contribute 0.4% of its annual gross revenues derived from broadcasting activities to a new independent production fund to assist independently owned, small-market broadcasters. The contribution to the new small-market broadcaster fund can be diverted from the 1% the DTH operator had previously paid to the Bell Fund (CNM, July 24/03). During licence renewal hearings for Bell ExpressVu late last year, the Bell Fund asked for the funding formula to be altered so that it could continue to receive the stable funding that it had enjoyed in the past. The Bell Fund was unable to convince the CRTC to change its decision by arguing that it is the only fund in Canada that supports new media and multimedia productions, and that its ability to support such projects would be diminished as a result of the reductions in funding from ExpressVu. CPCC wins court caseThe Canadian Private Copying Collective (CPCC) has won a case at the Federal Court of Canada against Amico Imaging Services Inc., which the CPCC says has failed to pay levies on CDs it imported and distributed. In the March 26 decision, the court turned down a bid by Amico to reverse an earlier decision that allowed representatives of the CPCC to seize business records from Amico and Computer Direct Depot. The collective estimates that Amico and Computer Direct Depot distributed over 7 million CDs in the period stretching from 2000 to 2003. The CPCC will now go after the money. Canada not ready to ratify WIPO treaties: RobillardCanada is not ready yet to ratify the World Intellectual Property Organization Internet (WIPO) treaties, Industry Canada minister Lucienne Robillard says. Although members of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology didn’t touch on the issues of copyright reform or media at their April 1 meeting, Robillard, asked after the session about the Canadian stance on WIPO treaties, said: "There are some issues, and we’re not ready to make the final decision on that. That’s why the officials of both departments, (Canadian)Heritage and Industry, went to the Heritage committee to explain what’s our plan exactly, what are our difficulties and complexities." A report on the sensitive issue was tabled on March 25 with the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. Responsibility for copyright reform is shared between the ministries of Industry and Heritage. The Industry minister’s point of view is that her department is seeking to balance the regime to not just reflect the interests of rights-holders, but also the users. "Issues that have been raised in this case are high priority issues, and we’re working on them with a view to making recommendations to Cabinet as soon as we can, so that a bill can be tabled as soon as possible," Robillard said. She wouldn’t comment on the latest Federal Court of Canada decision that downloading copyrighted music from peer-to-peer networks is legal in Canada, because "it is too early," she said. "Decisions could be appealed, and we have to wait. My officials will take a close look at this decision, and I would refer you to the report that we’ve tabled at the Heritage committee last week, where you’ll find some measures that we’re studying right now." Robillard is also expecting to be able to have recommendations on foreign ownership of the telecom and broadcasting industries finished during the spring. "This is the issue that has to be studied by both departments, and we’re looking to find common grounds, and to have only one recommendation to the government of Canada on that."

CNM Short Takes

News | 04/02/2004 5:00 am EST

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