In his new book, Prey To Thievery, Hill Times deputy editor Simon Doyle looks at the sway that collectives of rightsholders – most notably the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) – have held over the copyright reform process in Canada. In the book, Doyle contends that despite representing powerful corporate interests with considerable resources, copyright collectives were unsuccessful in their bids to influence policymakers due to a combination of technological advance and an inability to formulate their message in a manner that met with widespread approval. An excerpt from the book’s introduction appears below.

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Montreal-based Section Rouge Média Inc., a distributor of multi-platform content focusing on the Quebec/francophone market, has named Marie-Christine Dufour to the post of executive VP, distribution and communications at its Image In Media Inc. subsidiary. Dufour is a high-profile veteran of the Canadian production community, and before joining Section Rouge/Image In Media served as executive VP of presales, distribution and marketing at Cinégroup, an animation studio also located in Montreal. At Cinégroup, Dufour headed up the firm’s domestic and international distribution and licensing operations, as well as its efforts to increase its presence in multiplatform distribution channels such as mobile phones and the Internet.
Dufour’s other private-sector experience includes stints with Malofilm, Astral Communications and Coscient; before postings with those firms she worked in the Canadian government’s department of communications. She currently sits on the board of the Quebec Film and Television Bureau, and has also served on the boards of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association and Canadian Women in Communications.

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Corus launches online gaming initiative
Corus Entertainment Inc. has announced that it is teaming up with Quebec-based Frima Studio Inc. to develop a network of massive multiplayer online games (MMOGs). Code-named Constellation, the initiative introduces kids aged eight to 12 to a virtual universe where they can explore, compete, chat, collect, create and play mini-games. "MMOGs are among the fastest growing segment in online games and, to date, nothing of this magnitude has been developed for kids in North America," said Corus’ president and CEO John Cassaday in a news release. "This venture is central to Corus’ growth strategy to build and promote our core brands on multiple platforms." Constellation is set to launch later this year.

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