Archive for May, 2006

Sound Numbers

A special edition of my Law Bytes column (Ottawa Citizen version, homepage version) reports on a recent Canadian Heritage commissioned study on the economic impact of the copyright industries. The Connectus Consulting report, entitled The Economic Impact of Canadian Copyright Industries – Sectoral Analysis, has yet to be publicly released.  However, I recently obtained a copy of the final report dated March 31, 2006, under an Access to Information Act request.

The report, which spans 1997 to 2004, finds that the copyright industries comprise 4.5 percent of the Canadian economy and contribute 5.5 percent of total Canadian employment.  While that is expected to increase in the coming years (the copyright industries are growing at a faster rate than the overall economy), it pales in comparison to sectors such as finance, manufacturing, agriculture, education, and health care.

More interesting is a case study on the sound recording industry that contradicts both the industry claims and the expectations of the report's authors.

Read more ›

May 25, 2006 10 comments Columns

Sound Numbers

Appeared in the Ottawa Citizen on May 25, 2006 as Sound Numbers Copyright reform advocates frequently point to the economic importance of the so-called "copyright industries" to support their view that the government should enact tougher copyright laws. While few doubt that the industries merit attention, the economic angle has […]

Read more ›

May 25, 2006 Comments are Disabled Columns Archive

Canada to Launch Cybersecurity Task Force?

In April 2004, the Liberal government released a report on Canada’s National Security Policy that included plans to establish a public-private cybersecurity task force.  More than two years later, it appears that the Conservative government is preparing to follow through on that commitment by launching its own task force.  Although […]

Read more ›

May 24, 2006 Comments are Disabled News

Canadian Students Speak Out on Copyright

The Canadian Federation of Students, which represents more than 500,000 university and college students across Canada, has released a public letter to Ministers Oda and Bernier on copyright reform. The CFS identifies five issues of concern.  Anti-circumvention legislation – the CFS recognizes the dangers associated with DRM and argues that […]

Read more ›

May 24, 2006 2 comments News

European Commission Online Film Charter

The European Commission has released an online film charter to coincide with the Cannes Film Festival.  The Charter makes for an interesting read as it includes supportive comments for P2P distribution and non-commercial initiatives such as the BBC Creative Archive.

Read more ›

May 24, 2006 Comments are Disabled News