Archive for May 25th, 2006

Rogers CFO Speculates on Tiered Access

Rogers CFO Doug Linton has told an investors’ conference that ISPs must move toward increased tiered pricing for customers.

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.

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 […]