OTTAWA — Consumer advocacy groups are cautioning MPs against proposals that would make site-blocking in Canada easier, after a push for those anti-piracy policies failed at the CRTC failed last month. Representatives from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) warned MPs on the House of Commons industry committee Monday against proposals similar to FairPlay Canada’s CRTC ask for a new website-blocking regime to deal with internet piracy. John Lawford, executive director at PIAC, said “expedient judicial...
OTTAWA — Lawyers representing two streaming music services told the Copyright Board of Canada in hearings this week that a request from the not-for-profit group that represents Canadian songwriters and music publishers to increase usage fees is too much to ask. The dispute that pits streaming music providers Pandora Media Inc. and Apple Inc. against the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) boils down to how the online music services should be defined and thus how their monthly royalty fee will be determined. SOCAN told the hearing on Monday that services...