Michael Geist

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Kitimat Sentinal on C-61

"It's going to be a long, hot summer."

July 9, 2008 — Comments are Disabled — News

Montreal Gazette on the Canadian Telecom Industry

The Gazette's masthead editorial says "Maxime Bernier has his faults, but when he was industry minister he pushed hard for more competition and a better deal for consumers in telecommunications. His successor Jim Prentice seems to be moving in the opposite direction."

July 9, 2008 — 1 comment — News

Rogers Caves to iPhone Complaints With New Data Pricing

The Globe and Mail reports that Rogers has bowed to public pressure on iPhone data pricing by now offering 6 GB for $30 for consumers that sign up before the end of August.

July 9, 2008 — 11 comments — News

NDP Launches Petition Against Text Messages Fees

The NDP has launched a petition against the Bell and Telus announcement of new fees for receipt of text messages. Update: Industry Minister Jim Prentice has jumped into the issue demanding that Bell and Telus explain their decision.

July 9, 2008 — 10 comments — News

61 Reforms to C-61, Day 12: Music Shifting Provision and Private Copying

I noted last week that Bill C-61 creates a legal framework that means that consumers may buy a CD and pay the levy on a blank CD, yet still violate the law if they circumvent copy-controls in order to make a private copy of their purchased CD. There is a second private copying angle that merits analysis. The music shifting provision blocks users from shifting music to their iPod if they borrowed or rented the sound recording to be shifted. However, in what may be a case of bad drafting, the same provision appears to allow users to transfer borrowed or rented CDs to their iPod with one additional step that bring private copying into the picture. The process requires the user to make a private copy of a sound recording onto a blank CD. The private copying system allows for such copies from borrowed or rented CDs. The user then shifts the sound recordings from the private copied CD to their iPod.

This additional step would appear to meet the requirements of the law (Section 29.22(1)), namely:

July 8, 2008 — 10 comments — News