The UK Government has issued its response to the Hargreaves Report, noting that it will be dropping prior plans to implement an ISP blocking scheme and will introduce new exceptions for parody and private copying without a levy: The Government will therefore bring forward proposals in autumn 2011 for a […]
Post Tagged with: "private copying"
CPCC: No Levies on Cloud Music Services
The Canadian Private Copying Collective has issued a release saying that it has no plans to seek a levy on cloud-based music services. The CPCC says the services are viewed as licensed services, not private copying (though neither the Google nor Amazon services are currently licensed). The announcement vindicates Canadian […]
Canadian Rules Rain on Cloud Music Parade: Why New Services Unlikely To Come To Canada Anytime Soon
The most notable element of the iCloud is the iTunes Match service that gives users cloud-based access to their full digital music libraries. This includes songs purchased on iTunes as well as any other music files, which will be identified by Apple and made available without the need to upload the copy. Itunes Match has obtained the blessing of the major record labels, who will reportedly receive the lion’s share of the service’s US$24.95 annual fee.
The Apple announcement comes on the heels of newly launched music cloud services from Internet giants Amazon and Google. The Amazon Cloud Player allow users to upload their own music to Amazon’s computer servers and to stream it to any device, while Music Beta by Google similarly involves uploading music files for streaming access. Neither Amazon nor Google obtained licenses for their services, relying instead on their users’ fair use rights to shift their music to the “cloud.”
While the licensing approaches differentiate Apple from its competitors, my weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) argues all three cloud music services share a common characteristic when it comes to Canada – none are likely to be available here anytime soon.
Retail Council Calls for Scrapping Private Copying Levy
The Wire Report reports that the Retail Council of Canada is calling on the government to scrap the private copying levy in the aftermath of the CPCC demand to create a levy on memory cards. The CPCC’s David Basskin argues eliminating the levy would “recriminalize making private copies” but that […]
Forget the iPod Tax, Canadian Copyright Collective Demanding Memory Card Tax
During the most recent election campaign, there was no shortage of debate over the so-called iPod Tax, a proposed levy on iPods and similar devices to compensate for copies of sound recordings. While the prospect of an iPod tax in Canada died with the Conservative majority, the existing private copying […]
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