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TAGGED AS COPYRIGHT

Creative orgs call for copyright protections to be added to AI bill

Internet and Governance | 02/13/2024 11:13 am EST

Organizations representing Canada’s creative industries are calling on MPs to add copyright provisions to Bill C-27, in order to protect creators’ content, likeness, and...

Federal government launches consultation on AI and copyright

Internet and Governance | 10/12/2023 4:13 pm EDT

The federal government is seeking public input on generative artificial intelligence (AI) and its implications for copyright law. The consultation will look at the use of copyright-protected works in the training of AI systems; authorship and ownership rights; and liability....

Arguments begin in NHL site-blocking case before Federal Court

Media | 11/10/2022 4:24 pm EST

Arguments began Thursday in a Federal Court case that would see pirated...

Heritage Committee hears final witnesses on Online News Act

Media | 11/04/2022 5:50 pm EDT

Canada’s Online News Act could serve as a template for countries around...

Broadcasters want policy direction on C-11; streamers want their algorithms left alone

Media | 09/15/2022 7:51 pm EDT

Canadian broadcasting executives, from companies...

SCC determines users shouldn’t pay for royalties twice under Copyright Act

Media | 07/15/2022 5:07 pm EDT

The Supreme Court of Canada says Canada’s Copyright Act “does not exist...

SOCAN sues Quebecor for $1.44M

Media | 07/11/2022 12:59 pm EDT

The Society of Composers, Authors, and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) is suing Quebecor Inc. for $1.44 million the group says it is owed in unpaid royalties for three months in 2018.  In a statement of claim filed in Federal Court on July 5, SOCAN argued that Quebecor's Vidéotron improperly withheld the royalty money for five months in 2018 in violation of an agreement signed that year between SOCAN and the broadcaster.  According to SOCAN's claim, Vidéotron withheld the money because the broadcaster said it...

UPDATED: Rayes replaced by John Nater as Heritage shadow minister

Media | 11/09/2021 3:24 pm EST

A Conservative MP who was outspoken on the revised Broadcasting Act, Bill...

Dynamic site-blocking case gets Nov. 23 hearing date 

Media | 11/03/2021 5:51 pm EDT

A test-case for Canada's first-ever "dynamic" site-blocking order is headed...

Bell, Rogers, and Quebecor seek larger damages from set-top box seller

Media | 10/27/2021 5:13 pm EDT

BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc., and Quebecor Inc.  have turned to...

UPDATED – Rodriguez back as Heritage minister, Champagne remains in Innovation

Media | 10/26/2021 12:47 pm EDT

OTTAWA -- MP Pablo Rodriguez is back in familiar territory as he is once...

Bell, Rogers, Quebecor apply for extended site-blocking in GoldTV

Media | 10/26/2021 9:30 am EDT

A trio of Canada's biggest broadcasters has asked the Federal Court for a...

Man fined $40,000 for selling set-top boxes

Media | 09/30/2021 4:49 pm EDT

A federal court judge has fined a pre-loaded set top box seller $40,000 for being in contempt of an...

Appeal court revives reverse class-action suit by Voltage Pictures LLC

Media | 09/09/2021 6:16 pm EDT

A federal appeal court judge has revived a proposed reverse class-action...

Federal Court orders content pirates to pay millions to Bell, Rogers, Videotron

Media | 08/11/2021 5:14 pm EDT

A Federal Court judge ordered three pirate TV services to pay more than $29 million in damages to major broadcasters which claimed the sellers were cutting into their business...

Federal Court of Appeal dismisses BDUs’ appeal of distant signal tariffs

telecom | 07/23/2021 6:34 pm EDT

The Federal Court of Appeal ruled Friday partially in favour of a group...

Summer recess: your parliament update

Media | 06/25/2021 6:30 pm EDT

With Parliament rising this week for its summer break, a number of bills of interest to the broadcasting...

CIRA opposes ISP-level website blocking in “all but extreme” circumstances

Media | 06/01/2021 6:13 pm EDT

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) is opposing internet...

Alberta judge denies injunction in Super Channel piracy suit

Media | 05/03/2021 5:43 pm EDT

An Alberta judge shot down a request from Allarco Entertainment 2008 Inc. for an injunction against Best Buy Canada Ltd., Staples Canada ULC, Canada Computers Inc., and London Drugs Limited as part of...

Supreme Court to hear making available right dispute

Media | 04/26/2021 5:55 pm EDT

The Supreme Court of Canada has decided it will hear an appeal from Music Canada and the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN). SOCAN and Music Canada, which represents Sony Music Entertainment Canada, Universal Music Canada, and Warner...

Feds considering site-blocking proposal

Media | 04/14/2021 6:20 pm EDT

The federal government has launched a consultation document to solicit feedback on whether or not it...

GoldTV site-blocking order runs “roughshod” over parliament’s authority: TekSavvy

Media | 03/25/2021 7:57 pm EDT

Is a Nov. 2019 court order mandating a number of...

Federal Court judge appointed to head Copyright Board 

Media | 10/13/2020 6:16 pm EDT

The federal government has appointed Federal Court judge Luc Martineau as...

SkyChoice urges Federal Court to throw out Bell’s trademark injunction suit

telecom | 09/09/2020 3:36 pm EDT

A small Ontario telecommunications provider has told Federal Court it should be able to continue to market its wireless home internet service as “WiFibe,” urging it to deny a trademark injunction...

Bell argues site-blocking doesn’t need CRTC approval

Media | 09/04/2020 5:18 pm EDT

BCE Inc. has asked a Federal Court of Appeal judge to throw out an appeal of Canada's first ever site-blocking court order, saying that TekSavvy Solutions Inc.'s appeal of the order is grounded in...

Bell files for trademark injunction against SkyChoice’s WiFibe

telecom | 07/08/2020 5:54 pm EDT

BCE Inc. has asked Federal Court to order a small Ontario telecom to stop using the name “WiFIBE” for its wireless fibre internet service. Bell argued in a claim filed Monday that SkyChoice...

Rights holders, advocacy groups can intervene in site-blocking case

Media | 06/24/2020 9:25 pm EDT

In a closely-watched appeal of Canada's first-ever site-blocking court...

Federal Court of Appeal eliminates making available right for downloads

Media | 06/10/2020 1:49 pm EDT

The Copyright Board was wrong in extending the making available right to downloads in 2017, the Federal Court of Appeal has ruled.  The court said the board, in making that decision, “went to...

Henderson steps down as Music Canada CEO

Media | 05/28/2020 5:58 pm EDT

Music Canada CEO Graham Henderson will step down from the role he’s held for more than 15 years, the organization announced in a Thursday press release. In the statement, Henderson said working at Music Canada had been a “great honour and privilege.”  “I have absolutely every confidence that the staff, the Board and everyone at Sony, Universal and Warner will go forward from strength to strength. I hope that my experience and insight may be of some value down the road,” Henderson said.  Board chairperson Jennifer Sloan thanked Henderson for guiding the trade organization...

Allarco ordered to pay retailers’ court fees after dropping piracy lawsuit

Media | 05/15/2020 5:49 pm EDT

After dropping its lawsuit in Federal Court against four retailers whose employees it accused of recommending pirating content from media boxes sold in stores -- and subsequently launching a similar...

Rovi’s STB suit against Quebecor will proceed via Zoom

Media | 05/13/2020 4:14 pm EDT

A Federal Court proceeding between Quebecor Inc.'s Videotron and Rovi Guides Inc. that was halted in early March as the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns began, will resume via Zoom, over the objections of...

Premier League and Dazn support site blocking order

telecom | 05/12/2020 7:48 pm EDT

A consortium of rights holders — including the top tier of English soccer, the Premier League, sports streaming service Dazn and industry trade groups for book publishers — wants the Federal Court of Appeal to uphold...

Super Channel takes piracy fight to Alberta court

Media | 03/03/2020 11:50 am EST

Allarco Entertainment 2008 Inc.’s Super Channel has dropped its Federal Court lawsuit against four major retailers, whose employees allegedly recommended pirating content from media boxes sold in the store, only to launch...

Court must consider Charter rights in site-blocking case: BCCLA

Media | 03/02/2020 6:05 pm EST

Court mandated website-blocking is an "extraordinary" remedy and should only be granted sparingly, according to a court filing from the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association.  The BCCLA has told the Federal Court of Appeal that if it is granted leave to intervene in TekSavvy Solutions Inc.'s appeal of a Federal Court judge's site-blocking order, it will seek to underline the freedom of speech implications of the remedy.  "The protection of freedom of expression enshrined in the [Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms] and elsewhere in Canadian law counsels caution in the...

CRTC chair, commish toured Rogers’ ‘piracy lab’

Media | 03/02/2020 1:23 pm EST

As part of their ongoing effort to fight content piracy, two of Canada’s largest media and telecom...

Court docs detail expansion of Canadian website-blocking order

Media | 01/08/2020 4:58 pm EST

Fresh documents are shedding light on how Canada’s first piracy case...

Recent ‘expanded’ disclosure order shows ‘worrying’ trend: expert

Media | 12/13/2019 5:11 pm EST

A recent Federal Court order for two internet service providers to disclose the personal information of alleged copyright infringers diverged from previous precedent by expanding the type of...

Rovi’s STB suit an attempt to extract royalties, Videotron says

Media | 12/06/2019 11:49 am EST

Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron will argue in Federal Court later this month...

TekSavvy files appeal against site-blocking order

telecom | 11/25/2019 4:19 pm EST

Internet service provider TekSavvy Solutions Inc. has appealed a Federal Court order requiring ISPs to...

Voltage drops appeal in disclosure cost case

Media | 11/22/2019 5:09 pm EST

Voltage Pictures LLC and Rogers Communications Inc. have both agreed to drop their appeal and cross-appeal, respectively, against a decision by the Federal Court to award the telecom costs to dig up personal information of alleged...

Alberta court bans station from using Corus trademark legacy

Media | 11/19/2019 5:39 pm EST

An Alberta court has sided with Corus Entertainment Inc. in banning the use...

Court orders Canadian ISPs to block pirate website for the first time

Media | 11/15/2019 6:35 pm EST

In a precedent-setting decision, a Federal Court judge has ordered internet...

Voltage’s choice of defendant made ‘difference’ in class action failure: expert

Media | 11/14/2019 9:05 pm EST

The movie studio that has for years sought to sue alleged copyright infringers in Canada has been denied by the Federal Court the ability to sue thousands of Canadians at...

BDUs appeal new distant signal tariffs

Media | 11/12/2019 12:00 pm EST

The country’s largest TV service providers are appealing an increase in the over-the-air distant signal...

MediaTube asking Supreme Court to review Bell Fibe case

telecom | 10/01/2019 5:44 pm EDT

Six years after first filing suit alleging BCE Inc. infringed on its patent...

CRTC has no jurisdiction over site-blocking request, big telecoms argue

Media | 09/26/2019 5:31 pm EDT

BCE Inc., Quebecor Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. are arguing in...

Site-blocking is domain of CRTC, TekSavvy tells court

telecom | 09/24/2019 9:16 pm EDT

Even if the large telecoms satisfy the court’s threshold to move forward with forcing internet service...

IP addresses don’t necessarily link to individuals, CIPPIC argues

Media | 09/23/2019 6:37 pm EDT

In asking the Federal Court to deny certifying a class of defendants in a copyright infringement case, an advocacy group is arguing that an IP address is insufficient in proving an individual has committed infringing activity -- a point that has proved successful in United States courts.  The Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic said in one of several arguments submitted to the court this month that plaintiff and movie producer Voltage Pictures LLC has not made a direct link...

Distributel asks court for ability to challenge future site-blocking

Media | 09/19/2019 7:22 pm EDT

In the event Federal Court allows a site-blocking application brought by...

Ordering pirate site blocking would ‘leapfrog’ BTLR: TekSavvy lawyer

Media | 09/13/2019 3:42 pm EDT

OTTAWA — On the second and final day of a potentially precedent-setting court hearing on site-blocking, a Federal Court judge gave the parties until Wednesday to negotiate a revised draft site...

Disclosure cost to Rogers based on ‘irrelevant’ evidence: Voltage counsel

Media | 08/22/2019 2:51 pm EDT

Counsel to Voltage Pictures LLC and a number of movie studios is asking the Federal Court of Appeal to review a case that found Rogers Communications Inc. is owed $67.23 to disclose the personal...

Japanese comics publisher wants info on alleged infringer from ISPs

Media | 08/20/2019 5:17 pm EDT

Shueisha Inc., a Japanese publisher of comic books, has filed an...

Federal Court rules Rogers entitled to $35 per hour for subscriber disclosure 

Media | 08/08/2019 6:22 pm EDT

The Federal Court is setting at $35 the hourly rate that Rogers...

Federal Court grants injunction against GoldTV 

telecom | 08/07/2019 6:51 pm EDT

OTTAWA — A Federal Court judge has granted an interim ban on what the big telecom companies are...

Broadcasters suing pirate ‘IPTV’ provider

Media | 07/22/2019 4:33 pm EDT

Three of the nation’s largest broadcasters are suing the owners of a service that is allegedly selling...

Close growing ‘value gap’ by eliminating safe harbour: Music Canada

Media | 06/26/2019 6:34 pm EDT

Music Canada, the trade organization which represents the Canadian divisions of some of the world’s largest record labels, has declared that the gap between what artists create and what they are...

Another MediaTube appeal request against Bell denied

Media | 06/13/2019 1:36 pm EDT

The Federal Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal request by MediaTube Corp. to present new evidence in a six-year-old patent infringement case brought against BCE Inc. Judge David Stratus agreed with Bell’s argument that the fresh new evidence MediaTube was hoping to present was “already apparent” in the record before the court and MediaTube could’ve investigated the issue during the previous proceedings.   Stratus dismissed MediaTube’s submission following oral arguments on Tuesday. At most, Bell said, the supposedly new evidence would have only supplemented the...

Change safe harbour exemptions in Copyright Act, industry committee says

Media | 06/04/2019 6:27 pm EDT

The House industry committee is asking the Heritage committee to study...

Re:Sound seeks to double CBC radio royalties to $3M a year

Media | 05/14/2019 5:54 pm EDT

An organization representing sound recording rights holders wants to...

Long-time TekSavvy lawyer appointed to Federal Court

Media | 05/06/2019 4:25 pm EDT

Nicholas McHaffie, who served as counsel to TekSavvy Solutions Inc. in its long-running legal saga against movie studios looking to get the personal information of Canadians in copyright cases, has been appointed to the Federal...

Music orgs suing public establishments to recover royalties

Media | 03/28/2019 5:46 pm EDT

While the Canadian music industry aims to address revenue shortfalls in the...

Federal Court says disclosure motions need ‘best available evidence’

Media | 02/22/2019 6:13 pm EST

Key evidence relied upon by movie studios in a substantial chunk of copyright infringement cases that have yielded vast sums of money from settlements has been ruled insufficient by a Federal Court judge who reversed a disclosure order on Thursday. TekSavvy Solutions Inc. challenged the disclosure orders brought by three movie studios against 13 internet service providers in November 2017. The Chatham-based ISP said the studios provided evidence to the court that was made up of unsworn...

Public music should feature Canadian content, Stingray says

Media | 02/01/2019 1:18 pm EST

Music in public establishments such as malls, bars and restaurants should...

Rogers cost for disclosure case set for April

Media | 01/24/2019 3:47 pm EST

The Federal Court has set a spring date to determine how much Voltage Pictures LLC must pay Rogers Communications Inc. to hand over personal subscriber information after the Supreme Court found the telecom was entitled to...

Bell asked gov’t to ban some VPNs: documents

Media | 01/23/2019 4:40 pm EST

BCE Inc. urged the federal government to make virtual private networks (VPNs) used to circumvent...

ARIN CEO rejects legislative ask for IP address record rules

telecom | 01/08/2019 11:25 am EST

A regional internet registry is going to walk-back a controversial request...

ARIN asks Parliament to require ISPs to maintain Whois info

telecom | 01/04/2019 6:21 pm EST

The organization responsible for allocating IP numbers to intermediaries in...

CEO says Copyright Board to ‘run tighter ship’

Media | 12/06/2018 12:24 pm EST

OTTAWA — The Copyright Board will work to address long-standing criticism over how long it takes to issue decisions, including by implementing new regulations, CEO Nathalie Théberge told members of the House industry committee....

Bar Association tells committee notice-and-notice falls short

Media | 12/04/2018 5:36 pm EST

OTTAWA — The Canadian Bar Association told MPs Monday Parliament should introduce a new regime to deal with online piracy in the Copyright Act because the current notice-and-notice regime is...

Google asks MPs for ‘flexible copyright exemption’ for AI

Media | 11/27/2018 1:58 pm EST

OTTAWA — Alphabet Inc.’s Google wants members of Parliament to include...

Budget bill risks ‘compromising’ copyright board autonomy, committee hears

Media | 11/22/2018 12:18 pm EST

An expert in copyright law is asking senators to nix a reform measure in the Liberal government’s latest budget implementation bill that allows the federal cabinet to set...

Ottawa paid $2K settlement after consulate shared copyrighted image

Media | 11/16/2018 5:11 pm EST

The federal government paid a $2,000 settlement to a Barrie, Ontario photographer, according to the 2018 public accounts, because bureaucrats shared a copyrighted image on a government Facebook page....

Voltage reverse class action motion moving ahead

Media | 11/12/2018 3:47 pm EST

A reverse class action case that has been stalled for nearly two years over the issue of costs will now move forward, after plaintiff Voltage Pictures LLC put up $75,000 in security for defence costs. Voltage paid the amount...

Liberal government fills last two vacancies on Copyright Board

Media | 11/07/2018 4:00 pm EST

The federal government has named two new members to the Copyright Board of Canada, a move that fills the last vacancies on the board and comes alongside Ottawa introducing new board reform measures....

Consumer groups warn MPs against site-blocking pitches

Media | 11/06/2018 1:55 pm EST

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...

Bell, Rogers re-raise site-blocking request to MPs

Media | 10/16/2018 3:43 pm EDT

OTTAWA -- BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. are asking the House heritage committee to amend parts of the copyright and telecommunications acts to compel a number of intermediaries to take down websites that make available pirated content, resurrecting a request the companies spearheaded that was denied by the CRTC earlier this month. Tuesday’s recommendation is not new, as it was raised in front of the House of Commons industry committee in late September. However, earlier this month, the CRTC rejected the FairPlay Canada application that sought to impose a website-blocking system...

Google Canada asks MPs for Copyright Board reform

Media | 10/04/2018 3:29 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Alphabet Inc.’s Google wants to see the Copyright Board of Canada tariff setting process...

Federal Court orders ban on ‘Mr. Blamo’ Kodi add-on software

Media | 10/03/2018 6:04 pm EDT

Nearly a dozen content producers have obtained a court order banning set-top box software developed by an individual in Canada that allows users to watch their content for free, according to court...

More than half of internet traffic is encrypted: Sandvine

Media | 10/02/2018 6:49 pm EDT

Internet traffic is “more encrypted than ever,” with a “conservative estimate” suggesting more than half of all internet traffic is encrypted, according to Sandvine Corp.’s 2018 Global...

As CRTC rejects FairPlay, proposal could move to legislative reviews

Media | 10/02/2018 11:20 am EDT

The CRTC has no jurisdiction to implement a system to block websites...

Allow ISPs to apply notice-forwarding costs to deter abuse: Telus

Media | 10/02/2018 8:21 am EDT

OTTAWA -- Fraudulent copyright infringement claims made through Canada’s...

New NAFTA allows Super Bowl simsub ahead of SCC review

Media | 10/01/2018 7:18 pm EDT

The new trade pact forged by Canada, the U.S. and Mexico to replace the...

Big telecoms ask MPs for beefed up anti-piracy measures

Media | 09/27/2018 12:37 pm EDT

Some of the battles taking place before the CRTC related to site-blocking...

Broadcasters slam music industry copyright proposal

Media | 09/25/2018 1:46 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Canada’s private broadcasters are defending Canada’s existing copyright laws and tariff...

Bryan Adams asked Trudeau, Harper to change Copyright Act

Media | 09/18/2018 2:32 pm EDT

OTTAWA -- Canadian rock legend Bryan Adams is asking Canadian lawmakers to change the Copyright Act so it gives artists more control over their copyright. Adams told reporters on Parliament Hill Tuesday that he had approached two prime ministers – Stephen Harper and...

Rogers can recover some costs to disclose customer info, SCC rules

Media | 09/14/2018 10:37 am EDT

OTTAWA --- In a decision that could serve as a deterrent to copyright...

EU copyright directive passes

Media | 09/12/2018 2:24 pm EDT

The European Parliament passed its copyright directive Wednesday, with some amendments to the...

Broadcasters’ association, Corus, add new lobby registrations

Media | 08/24/2018 11:33 am EDT

The Canadian Association of Broadcasters registered to lobby the federal government on its review of the Copyright Act in July, which was otherwise a sleepy month in telecom and media government...

Canadians agreed to pay at least $200K to settle copyright suits in 2018

Media | 08/22/2018 5:08 pm EDT

More than a dozen movie studios have sued Canadians in recent months in a...

SCC denies Voltage appeal in costs case

Media | 08/10/2018 12:54 pm EDT

The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) will not hear an appeal from an American movie studio challenging a Canadian court’s decision forcing it to pay court costs upfront for a defendant it is looking to sue for copyright infringement. Early last year, a federal court judge ordered Voltage Pictures LLC to put up $75,000 in a court account to cover the costs of defendant and Rogers Communications Inc. subscriber Robert Salna, who was accused by the studio of illegally downloading its content. The Federal Court of Appeal then denied Voltage’s appeal, and on Thursday, the country’s...

Court nixing Que. site-blocking ‘helpful’ against FairPlay: advocates

Media | 07/24/2018 5:59 pm EDT

The Quebec Superior Court has ruled against a plan by the Quebec government...

12.5% Canadians watched pirated content in past month: MTM

Media | 06/21/2018 4:21 pm EDT

One in eight Canadians have watched pirated TV or movie content online in...

EU committee approves internet filtering copyright directive

Media | 06/20/2018 4:43 pm EDT

A European Union committee has approved a controversial copyright directive that critics say could interfere with the sharing of online content. At issue are two articles under the directive. The...

‘Rare’ music industry consensus on key issues at Copyright Act review

Media | 06/15/2018 4:49 pm EDT

The House industry committee heard some familiar suggestions from a number...

ACTRA backs Music Canada asks on copyright reform

Media | 06/13/2018 5:14 pm EDT

The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) asked a parliamentary committee...

Rightsholders facing ‘blasé’ attitude toward piracy, committee hears

Media | 06/08/2018 6:09 pm EDT

The popularity of fully-loaded set-top boxes, such as Kodi devices, is illustrative of an attitude of indifference toward piracy, the House of Commons industry committee heard Thursday. There is no...

26% of Canadians access pirated content, new report shows

Media | 05/30/2018 6:16 pm EDT

A government-commissioned report is shedding light on the extent of...

Copyright Act review shifts gears to radio, TV

Media | 05/25/2018 4:08 pm EDT

The ongoing review of the Copyright Act will begin focusing on the music, radio, television and film sectors next month. The House of Commons industry committee has heard from 100 stakeholders since the review began in...

FairPlay hits back, claims piracy cost TV providers as much as $761M

Media | 05/15/2018 3:00 pm EDT

The FairPlay coalition has responded to the laundry list of criticism directed toward its proposal to implement a website-blocking regime to fight piracy, arguing, among other...