The UK Prime Minister's Office has issued a response to a popular e-petition on its site calling for a private copying exception. The response notes the similar Gowers Report conclusion and indicates that the government is considering how to implement the recommendation. This is an interesting development not just for […]
Post Tagged with: "private copying"
UK Group Calls for Personal Copying Right
As EMI's President states that CDs are dead, the UK's The Institute for Public Policy Research is arguing that consumers' rights should be improved with a "new private right to copy." It is also calling on the government to reject demands for the music copyright term to be extended beyond […]
Survey Finds Declining P2P Usage in Canada
The Copyright Board of Canada conducted hearings today on the private copying levy. Included as part of the evidence was a major survey (not online at the moment) on music copying conducted for the Canadian Private Copying Collective (CPCC) by Reseau Circum. The CPCC, which counts CRIA General Counsel Richard Pfohl as one of its board members, has tracked music copying habits since 2001-02.
The headliner in the latest survey is that file sharing activity is in steady decline in Canada. The survey, conducted in June 2006, finds that just 14 percent of Canadians have downloaded music in the last 12 months, down from 15 percent in 2005, 19 percent in 2004, 21 percent in 2003, and 21 percent in 2002. It goes without saying that this finding comes despite the absence of lawsuits, the absence of copyright reform, and the continual (yet questionable) claims that Canada is a world leader in file sharing.
CMRRA on Private Copying
Last week I posted a note about CRIA’s position on private copying at a recent copyright board hearing. My colleague Jeremy deBeer highlights the CMRRA position, which also raises interesting questions about reconciling seemingly conflicting perspectives about the mix between private copying and DRM.
CRIA and Private Copying
CRIA is currently leading a coalition that includes Apple, Bell, Rogers, and Napster in opposing an application for a new tariff for online downloads (I briefly posted on Graham Henderson's appearance before the Copyright Board last week and his startling claim that he had not read Nielson SoundScan data months after he referenced that data in a speech). The lead statement in the case includes a discussion of private copying, after CSI (the group seeking the tariff) sought compensation for the copies that consumers make from digital downloads. CSI argues that the recording industry authorizes consumers to make those copies.
CRIA's response? They say they do no such thing – "the Online Music Services do not 'authorize' any further reproduction of downloads by the consumer." Rather, CRIA notes that:
Law Bytes
Episode 232: What Will Canadian Digital Policy Look Like Under the New Liberal Carney Government?
byMichael Geist
May 5, 2025
Michael Geist
March 31, 2025
Michael Geist
March 24, 2025
Michael Geist
March 10, 2025
Michael Geist
Search Results placeholder
Recent Posts
When the Drumbeat of Intolerance Becomes Too Loud to Ignore: Reflections on Campus Antisemitism, Academic Freedom and My Global Technology Law Exchange Course 
Solomon’s Choice: Charting the Future of AI Policy in Canada 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 232: What Will Canadian Digital Policy Look Like Under the New Liberal Carney Government? 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 231: Sara Bannerman on How Canadian Political Parties Maximize Voter Data Collection and Minimize Privacy Safeguards 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 230: Aengus Bridgman on the 2025 Federal Election, Social Media Platforms, and Misinformation
