CNM Update

Thursday, May 19, 2005 BMG case decision expected todayThe Federal Court of Appeal is expected today to release its decision on whether Canada’s major ISPs will be required to divulge the personal information of 29 people the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) is seeking to sue for unauthorized music sharing (CNM, July 23/04). The decision will either overturn or not a lower court ruling that CRIA didn’t provide adequate evidence in a previous court process. In other digital copyright news, legislation to reform the Copyright Act may also be introduced into the House of Commons today (CNM, April 1/05).Spam recommendations welcomed by public interest groupA report issued May 17 by Canada’s spam task force was received enthusiastically by the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC), which is urging Ottawa to implement swiftly the measures suggested in the document. These include new anti-spam legislation with meaningful penalties, new powers for consumers to sue spammers, more resources for government agencies tasked with fighting spam, industry self-regulation, and greater international cooperation to track down and stop those responsible for unwanted email messages. "The measures called for by this task force are long overdue", said CIPPIC director Philippa Lawson in a media release. “Canada has been sitting by while other countries take action against spam, yet we want to be an international leader in electronic commerce. Spam may be a difficult problem to solve, but that doesn't mean that we should refrain from taking legislative and other action” Canadian NEW MEDIA will have full details in its upcoming full issue.PhotoChannel to challenge lawsuitVancouver-based PhotoChannel Networks Inc. has issued a media release to alert shareholders that the company is being sued by former CEO Bart Copeland. There is no indication that the company has received a statement of claim from Copeland since the May 12 release. The former CEO was let go from the company on March 3, replaced by Peter Fitzgerald. “It is unfortunate that these things happen,” said Fitzgerald in the media release. “We have been negotiating in good faith to resolve this matter amicably. We will seek direction from legal counsel regarding this matter, once we have been served.” PhotoChannel released its Q2 2005 financial results on May 17. A media release indicates: “For the six months ended March 31, 2005 the Company recorded record revenue of $995,356, up 153% over the corresponding period of 2004. This record revenue continues to be driven by increases in network transactional and membership fees, which increased by 188% and 546%, respectively, from second quarter of 2004.”ExtendMedia wins Cablevision businessExtendMedia, Toronto, has signed a licensing agreement with Cablevision Systems Corp. to provide its OpenCASE content management system. Terms of the deal were not announced in a media release. Canadian NEW MEDIA will have further details in an upcoming issue.Telefilm hosting 30 participants at E3 Canada PavilionTelefilm Canada is hosting 27 Canadian companies at the Electronic Entertainment Expo Conference and Exhibition (E3) with the help of Alliance numériQC. The companies – game and software developers, publishers, distributors and production service providers – will have the chance to show off their wares at the Canada Pavilion. On-site logistics support is being provided by Alliance, as well as consulting services. The 30 companies come from across Canada.INTERNATIONAL NEWSSAG, AFTRA break off video game talksThe Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) in the U.S. have broken off talks with video game producers for new interactive media agreements. The unions say company proposals on the table fail to address the profit-sharing issue. The contracts have been under negotiation since February 15, and expired on May 13. In a media release explaining the unions’ action, SAG national president Melissa Gilbert noted: “Game revenues exceed domestic box office receipts. Producers rejected even a modest proposal of a residual structure that would cost them less than one percent of the revenue generated on only the highest grossing games. There is only one way to describe their position: completely unreasonable and lacking in any appreciation of the contributions made by actors to the enormous profits enjoyed by this industry. If producers want their games to maintain a professional quality, they need to offer an agreement that shows greater respect to the professional performers who make these games come alive.”

CNM Update

News | 05/19/2005 4:00 am EDT

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