Michael Geist

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Restrictive Copyright Plays Into Music Industry Myths

Dwayne Winseck’s Globe column dissects the music industry claims and find that the total industry has grown over the last 13 years. Winseck links the claims to copyright reform, concluding that “only once the myth that the music industry is in peril, and that it is the canary in the […]

May 17, 2011 — 29 comments — News

Will the Government Create a New Minister for Innovation, Science & Technology?

The Hill Times is reporting there is speculation the government is considering splitting the Minister of Industry position into two – one to focus on innovation, science and technology and the other on the rest of the Industry portfolio. The move could be a great one – I discussed the […]

May 16, 2011 — 5 comments — News

Why Canadian Cable Companies and Telecoms Are in Trouble

Sean Michael provides an interesting outsider take on the state of Canadian cable and telecom companies, arguing that they have enjoyed legislative protections that have “allowed them to enjoy inflated margins as members of a cozy oligopoly.”

May 16, 2011 — 2 comments — News

Forget the iPod Tax, Canadian Copyright Collective Demanding Memory Card Tax

During the most recent election campaign, there was no shortage of debate over the so-called iPod Tax, a proposed levy on iPods and similar devices to compensate for copies of sound recordings. While the prospect of an iPod tax in Canada died with the Conservative majority, the existing private copying […]

May 14, 2011 — 104 comments — News

“Canada’s Piracy Rate is at an All Time Low”

The Business Software Alliance released its annual Global Piracy Study yesterday and while the study is oft-criticized on methodological grounds (Glyn Moody, my 2009 criticisms that revealed no actual surveys in Canada that year), the trend is unmistakable. According to this annual study, Canada’s piracy rate has been on a steady decline as Michael Murphy, Chairman of the BSA Canada Committee, notes “at 28 per cent, Canada’s piracy rate is at an all time low, dropping six percentage points since 2006.”

The Toronto Star runs a story on the release, complete a graphic showing Canada among the 15 lowest piracy countries in the world. Canada’s is well below the Western European average and well below the other countries on the USTR Special 301 Watch list. While the BSA notes an increase in the dollar amount, this is due almost entirely to currency fluctuations given the stronger Canadian dollar. Moreover, Joe Karaganis highlights the fact that the BSA says the top source of “software piracy” is not unauthorized versions of software but rather “overinstallation” – the installation of legal, authorized software on more than one computer.

May 13, 2011 — 12 comments — News