Friday was the deadline for written submissions to the CRTC's New Media hearing and the Commission has already posted filings from nearly 100 individuals and organizations [now nearly 150 submissions]. While there are some noteworthy side copyright issues (the CMPDA – the Canadian arm of the MPAA – is concerned that dropping the new media exception would bring back iCraveTV and the legality of Internet retransmission, while CRIA implausibly argues without any evidence that "one of the factors that has significantly restricted legitimate Canadian broadcasting content being delivered and accessed over the Internet is the proliferation of unauthorized file swapping and downloading"), the real fight in the February hearings will come down to three issues:
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Internet Video Goes To the Movies
In recent years, much of the interest in online video has focused on its effects on mainstream or conventional television – the emergence of a "clip culture," where popular segments of television programs draw larger audiences on websites like YouTube than on conventional television. My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes that the shift of conventional broadcast to the Internet is remarkable, but it misses important developments for longer form video.
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The Privacy Commissioner of Canada has released her annual Privacy Act report, expressing concern about the protection of personal information in the passport application process.
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The BBC reports that UK ISPs have agreed to support a regulator-backed code of practice that will give customers more information about broadband speeds.
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