Mark Blevis examines the social media reaction to the Conservatives’ iPod Tax campaign and finds that “despite all the media attention, and the slick ads, it just doesn’t seem to land.”
Latest Posts
The iPod Tax, the iTunes Tax and the Notepad Tax
Ariel Katz has a great post on the iPod Tax (“the Tories’ claim is not factually accurate”) and other copyright taxes, including the iTunes tax and the Notepad tax.
Cancon, The Opera
The National Post’s Terence Corcoran takes on the broadcaster attempt to regulate Netflix, noting regulation supporters “want the Internet controlled through new rules and new charges that would expand their existing protection racket that now funnels billions into their hands and limits the freedom of Canadians.
What a Difference Two Years Can Make: Canadian Broadcasters and Distributors on the Internet
The Working Group believes indeed, like the Standing Committee, that foreign over-the-top services are becoming a significant presence in the domestic market. It is now public knowledge that a foreign over-the-top service operating in Canada has commissioned new exclusive dramatic content, including for the Canadian market. It is buying exclusive rights with studios in the windows of certain linear Canadian programming services. Therefore, the Working Group submits that the Commission should initiate the public consultation recommended by the Standing Committee.
The fight against Netflix is likely to escalate as broadcasters and broadcast distributors wrap themselves up in the Canadian flag and proclaim the future of Canadian content depends on new regulation of online video providers complete with Canadian content requirements and financial contributions (these are the same broadcasters arguing for decreased Canadian content requirements on their own networks).
The battle has been brewing over the past few months (I wrote about Shaw’s about face on regulation in January) and what is particularly striking is how badly Canadian broadcasters and broadcast distributors understood the future impact of the Internet on their businesses. The prospect of the Internet becoming a substitute for conventional broadcast was not exactly a secret at the new media hearing in 2009. In fact, I wrote about the hearing and the Internet streaming of movies in back-to-back columns just before the hearing started. But consider the comments of Canada’s broadcasters and broadcast distributors then and now. Earlier this month, Shaw told the CRTC:
World Economic Forum’s Global IT Report: Where Canada Ranks
The World Economic Forum has published its Global Information Technology Report 2010-2011 that ranks countries on a wide range of information technologies metrics. The report describes itself as “the world’s most comprehensive and authoritative international assessment of the impact of ICT on the development process and the competitiveness of nations.” […]
Recent Posts
Canadian Government Caves on Digital Services Tax After Years of Dismissing the Risks of Trade Retaliation 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 238: David Fraser on Why Bill C-2’s Lawful Access Powers May Put Canadians’ Digital Security At Risk 
Ignoring the Warning Signs: Why Did the Canadian Government Dismiss the Trade Risks of a Digital Services Tax? 
Why Bill C-2 Faces a Likely Constitutional Challenge By Placing Solicitor-Client Privilege at Risk 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 237: A Conversation with Jason Woywada of BCFIPA on Political Party Privacy and Bill C-4
