Slashdot points to a new Dutch study that finds that file sharing has positive economic effect on social welfare. The study, completed by several independent groups on behalf of the Dutch Ministries of Education, Economic Affairs, and Justice, acknowledges that file sharing may lead to some reduced sales for some […]
Post Tagged with: "file sharing"
SAC Proposal Debated At Nova Scotia Music Week
The News reports that the SAC file sharing proposal was the subject of considerable debate at the Nova Scotia Music Week.
61 Reforms to C-61, Day 58: Statutory Damages Reform – What It Doesn’t Cover
The problems associated with the statutory damages reform extend beyond the questions it raises. The provision is presumably a response to the over 30,000 file sharing lawsuits in the United States which each bring the prospect of millions in liability. Politically, the image of that kind of liability for Canadians would not sell well on the campaign trail. Yet notwithstanding the intent, the current provision does very little to address the prospect of enormous liability for all sorts of activities.
The new provision would likely reduce liability for downloading (though downloading of sound recordings is already arguably permitted due to the private copying levy), however, it certainly does not address uploading or the making available of content on file sharing networks without authorization. This means that BitTorrent users – who simultaneously upload and download – will still face the possible liability of $20,000 per infringement. Similarly, uploading a copyrighted work to YouTube raises the same potential liability.
61 Reforms to C-61, Day 57: Statutory Damages Reform – Uncertainty
Reforms to the statutory damages provisions formed a big part of the government's communication strategy for Bill C-61. Although scooped by the National Post, Industry Minister Jim Prentice emphasized the introduction of amendments to the statutory damages provisions that purportedly create limits for damages that arise from "private purposes" infringement. […]
Report Says Canadian DMCA To Include $500 Fine Per Download
The National Post reports that the Canadian DMCA, which may be introduced tomorrow, will include a "personal use download" fine of $500. The front page story indicates that the fine (presumably a new form of statutory damage award) could be awarded on a per infringement basis, leading the possibility of […]