ISPs should take initiative to stop piracy, without the heavy hand of legislation: Quebecor executive

The new VP, corporate and institutional affairs at Quebecor Media Inc. warns that Canadians will look elsewhere for their Internet fix if the federal government and its regulator don’t break with protectionist policies that stifle consumer choice and innovation. At the same time, J.Serge Sasseville told delegates yesterday at the 5th Canadian Telecommunications Forum organized by Insight Media in Ottawa that ISPs need to work with content providers to solve piracy problems and develop new business models.In a wide-ranging speech that dealt with Bill C-61 and the role of ISPs, Sasseville said his company supports the proposed copyright legislation, including tenets in it that absolve ISPs from liabilities on copyright infringements. However, he also said ISPs should not ignore the negative consequences of piracy on Canadian content producers. He called for joint efforts between ISPs and content producers to foster creativity in new media.Below is an excerpt from his speech.As users and creative industries integrate digital technology into their daily lives, the number of access points increases, as does the importance of reliability and speed. Increasingly, ISP effectiveness becomes a competitive weapon for all.There is a battle out there for platforms, creativity, advertising, e-commerce, social networks, traffic and mobile devices. New consumer and creative habits are emerging. Consumers and creative industries are incorporating the technologies provided by ISPs into their daily habits. They are becoming more and more technologically savvy and more demanding when it comes to the products and services they use. They are taking control.Given this context, if regulation or legislation has the effect of limiting consumer choice and stopping innovation, or artificially increasing the cost of services without adding value, consumers will simply turn their backs on the system and find what they want elsewhere. Even if the Internet, the world where free choice reigns supreme, continues to increase its penetration rate in Canadian households, cable bills and satellite bills are high enough.Asking consumers and creative industries to pay more for services, without adding any value, would encourage them to circumvent the existing system and use alternative means.In April 2008, Quebecor Media commissioned the Praxicus polling firm to conduct a survey about the Canada’s current system. It reveals that 65% of Canadians believe that regulations should be reduced so Canadians can participate in the digital revolution. The digital age offers the possibility of growth for those who are willing to take risks. It is a matter of economic development in a competitive industry where a new generation of home-grown creative talent could emerge and thrive. Young Canadians, who have grown up living and breathing digital technology, have already started seeking elsewhere and they will continue to do so if Canada doesn’t break from the current protectionist and defensive system. Canadian creative and cultural companies need to capitalize on their ability to stand out from the competition and build their success on creativity rather than rules that squeeze them. Quebecor Media’s goal is to allow creativity and innovation free rein, and to give consumers the infinite power of creation.That being said, Quebecor Media believes that ISPs should do more, but without the intervention of the legislator or the regulator. A Canadian telecommunications company does not only answer to its directors, shareholders and creditors. As a stakeholder, a good corporate citizen, it cannot remain insensitive to the piracy problems affecting the survival of Canadian content producers and rights holders to be successful in the new media environment. ISPs should be active participants in the definition of a new business model that would enable content producers and rights holders to monetize their creations. Such collaboration would permit to highlight the works of Canadian creators in the new media.This is even more important in Quebec, a more homogeneous and closely knitted French-speaking society in the middle of an English-speaking universe, which has to ensure the survival and development of its own distinctive culture. Neither the form nor the content and technicalities of the solutions to be considered are determined. But one thing is for sure: the confrontation between the ISPs and the content producers and rights holders must stop. They have to build together a strong business model that will protect and help develop the Canadian cultural production.

ISPs should take initiative to stop piracy, without the heavy hand of legislation: Quebecor executive

News | 11/27/2008 8:11 pm EST

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