CNM Short Takes

CIPPIC wins status in file-sharing caseThe Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) has been granted intervenor status in the record labels’ appeal of last March’s unsuccessful suit against Internet service providers (CNM, April 16/04). The labels had sought the identity of 29 people they accuse of being music pirates from ISPs, but Federal Court of Canada judge Konrad von Finckenstein ruled that they didn’t make a strong enough case to warrant forcing ISPs to divulge subscriber information. CIPPIC’s status will be important in the upcoming appeal. Von Finckenstein went to great lengths in his original decision to discuss the legality of file-sharing, one of the hooks upon which the Canadian Recording Industry Association is hanging its appeal. ISPs are widely perceived to be neutral on the issue of copyright in this instance, and it falls to CIPPIC to make the user rights case in this debate. Bell Fund sees tidal wave of applications for reduced dollarsBell Broadcast and New Media Fund executive director Andra Sheffer tells Canadian NEW MEDIA that the organization is dealing with one of the biggest influxes of applications in its history. In this, the second round of 2004, the fund received 37 applications for production assistance worth $8 million in total, and 23 applications for development assistance worth $1 million. She says the fund only has about $5 million available for the year to help production, and $600,000 for development. The fund has already committed $1.5 million so far this year. Sheffer expects total requests for funding this year will be between $16 million and $18 million. IAB Canada sees membership boostThe Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada has announced ten new members: Canadian Geographic, Fjord Interactive, JAN Kelley, MAGI Communications, Mediaplus, Pixel Consulting Inc., Proximity, TELUS, Unilever and St. Joseph’s Media, which brings torontolife.com, where.ca, fashionmagazine.com, fashion18.com and weddingbells.com to the group. Further, Rogers Broadcasting has expanded its initial membership that covered only chatelaine.com to include all its properties, including flare.com and todaysparent.com. Alliance numériQC sees funds renewed for one yearThe Alliance numériQC has seen funding from Canada Economic Development, the Quebec Ministry of Culture and Communications, the province’s Ministry of Economic and Regional Development and others renewed for one year at 65% of the association’s needs. Executive director Gilles Bertrand tells Canadian NEW MEDIA that he is confident the group will be able to raise the remainder. The money will be used to fund 21 different projects including its upcoming video games summit, export and marketing initiatives, a public relations campaign to encourage Quebeckers to buy software from provincial developers, a study of the multimedia industry in the province, a financing forum and outreach efforts to involve companies outside the Montreal area such as in Sherbrooke, Gatineau and Abitibi. Bertrand says the one-year funding is a challenge since the group would like to focus on a three-year plan. The Alliance now has eight people working for it. One of the areas of longtime interest to the Alliance, funding for educational software, is progressing well, Bertrand says. By July, he says, the province’s software developers should be listed on the education ministry’s list of approved suppliers (CNM, April 19/02). IDT acquires DKP EffectsNewark NJ-based IDT Entertainment, through its affiliate TLL Dutch Holdings B.V., has acquired Toronto-based DKP Effects Inc., a 3D animation and special effects production company working in film and television. DKP has worked on over 3,000 commercials, and done jobs for 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. and New Line/Alliance Films. Advertising clients include Suzuki, Ford, Pepsi, GMC, PlayStation and others. The company recently completed six episodes of Game Over, a new primetime computer generated animated series for UPN that depicts a suburban family living inside a video game world. IDT has been on an acquisition roll of late, and bought Digital Production Solutions in March 2003 and a controlling interest in Film Roman Inc. in May 2003. It also owns a controlling interest in Mainframe Entertainment Inc. Canadian Heritage has ordered a foreign ownership review of the transaction under the terms of the Investment Canada Act. SBS Interactive receives prototype set-top boxToronto-based SBS Interactive Co. has taken delivery of its new Side by Side set-top box. The prototype adds design and functionality improvements, and the company can now begin implementing its marketing plan. The set-top box uses a proprietary and patented reverse blue screen technology to combine pre-recorded or computer-generated content with a user’s environment, integrated by a fully automated digital camera in real-time. Mamma.com upgrades ad capabilities across networkMamma.com Inc. has upgraded its advertising capabilities across its network of 5,500 publishers to include rich multimedia. Advertisers will now be able to buy formats including DHTML, floating ads and Flash overlays that are expected to eventually replace pop-ups and -unders. A company media release notes that the upgrade is in response to increased advertiser demand for rich media capabilities. It quotes a DoubleClick study that found that rich media rose 54% from Q1 of 2003 to become more than 42% of all ads served in Q1 2004. The same study also revealed that click-throughs for the multimedia ads are nearly four times higher than those for non-rich media. Mamma.com sells ads on a revenue sharing basis with its network publishers. Government supports new anti-bullying siteThe federal government’s National Crime Prevention Strategy has funded a new web site directed at children, youth and adults concerned about crime and safety issues in schools and communities. The site provides resources such as advice on dealing with bullying and vandalism, as well as links to other sites. The site was created in partnership with Breakfast for Learning, an initiative of the Canadian Living Foundation. The new site is online. D-Box sees record salesD-Box Technology Inc. says it billed more than $300,000 in April 2004 for its Odyssee motion simulator products, a 300% increase for the month on a year-over-year basis. Executive VP Claude McMaster says in a media release that "this was yet further confirmation that the Odyssee motion simulator is meeting a growing need in the home entertainment sector." Image Entertainment wins $100,000 in federal gov’t helpMontreal-based Image Entertainment has received $100,000 in a repayable contribution from Canada Economic Development. The money will support the company’s strategy to commercialize its audiovisual productions in foreign markets. This loan is earmarked for two television projects with environmental themes that feature a character who is concerned about the future of the planet. A media release notes that the total project will be worth $200,000 and should lead to the creation of 63 jobs at Image Entertainment by 2007. Industry minister Lucienne Robillard says in the same release that "the film industry generates major economic spinoffs for the Greater Montreal area. Canada Economic Development is already a partner with , which supports digital imaging projects for film and intends to continue supporting the film industry, a sector where substantial investment is required and the risks make access to conventional financing more difficult." Bollyvista and m-Qube deliver cross-media storefrontMontreal-based Bollyvista.com, an infotainment site for South Asians living in North America, has launched a cross-carrier mobile content store. The store sells movie images and music either via a PC or mobile phone, with charges billed directly to users’ cell phone bills. The back-end infrastructure is being provided by m-Qube. "Mobile media is important to the Bollyvista audience and we’re excited to provide our visitors with an easy way to download unique mobile content and services," says Jeremy Long, VP of business development, in a media release. "With over 25 million page views per month, we are leveraging our existing web traffic to extend our reach and generate incremental revenues by offering Bollywood movie images and music through the wireless channel." "Offshoring" trend continuesA new report by the Software Human Resource Council points to a continued migration of IT jobs offshore. Appreciation in the Canadian dollar and improved capabilities in countries such as India are playing a role in the trend. The full report is available here.

CNM Short Takes

Broadcast | May 28, 2004

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