ZeroPaid Interviews the Pirate Party of Canada
If you asked a file-sharer in, say, 2005, if there would be a political party with a focus on, among other things, copyright and internet rights issues, you were more than likely to just get an odd look or a response wondering what kind of substances you were on. That was just four years [...]
Canadian Copyright Consultation – Transcript of Round Table 1 Online
The first round table on the copyright consultation has concluded and its subsequent transcript was posted online. There was plenty being said including scepticism over the existence of crown copyright and blanket banning of circumvention activities. There also seemed to be a couple of themes including how creators are, at some point, consumers [...]
Has the Transcoding Problem Worsened Thanks to YouTube?
If you’re a hardcore rock fan, the name “Deadmau5″ might not really ring a bell – unless you know someone who is familiar with the “rave” scene. One of the bigger names in House music had some interesting things to say about how much quality is lost on YouTube even though it’s labelled as [...]
EU Commissioner Wants to Overhaul Internet Download Regulations
It seems only a month or so ago when we were talking about the battle in the European Union to stop an EU-wide three strikes law. Apparently, an EU commissioner now wants an overhaul on downloading related regulations saying that current access rules to works makes piracy “sexy”.
While we are not really sure what [...]
BPI Exec – Industry Shouldn’t Have Fought Napster
It may have taken 10 years for one executive to come up with this revelation, but the head of the British Phonographic Industry, or BPI, has recently admitted that the industry shouldn’t have fought Napster, but rather, engaged it. Who knows? At this rate, maybe another executive will think that the industry should [...]
‘Study’ By Online Music Licensing Org – File-sharing Makes Pop Music More Popular
Does file-sharing help make pop music popular? That debate has been going on for years, but a study appears to have sided with those that believe that file-sharing is helping to feed the popularity of the copyright industries popular signed acts. Of course, it’s less surprising when the source of the study sells [...]
Political Hypocrisy: French President Sued for Copyright Infringement
It seems that every year, a high profile anti-piracy entity winds up being on the wrong end of a copyright violation – this year did not disappoint.
This may very well become the most ironic stories of 2009 in the copyright debate. The CBC is reporting that French governing party as led by president Nicolas [...]
Canadian Copyright Board Increases Blank Media Levy Rates
Says that it’s the economy stupid.
A report today on Exclaim Magazine says that the Canadian Copyright Board has raised the levy on CDs up 40 percent. That means that the levy will be bumped up from 21 cents to 29 cents and that the price of a spindle of 100 CDs will cost an [...]
British Government Announces Support for Copyright Term Extension
In a move that sent shock waves around the internet, Culture secretary Andy Burnham announced that he supports extending the UK copyright term from 50 to 70 years.
It’s been a multi-year battle between the recording industry and Britain, but today, consumer rights advocates was dealt with a major blow. The report comes from Music [...]
Legal Questions Raised Over MP3 Resale Website
Is it really legal to sell your DRM-free music files?
Here’s the scenario: you have a hard drive full of MP3s you don’t really listen to anymore. The standard response would be to just delete the files. What about the value locked up in those particular digital bits? What about the idea of [...]
