Month: February 2018

I make no bones about it. I am an unabashed supporter of a strong copyright regime to protect the work of creators and to ensure fairness to those who work in the creative economy ecosystem. Robust copyright protection is really a matter of fairness, allowing individual creators—songwriters, indie film makers, photographers, authors, artists, game designers, et j’en passe—to protect their work, to monetize it if they wish to, and to earn a living. Playing fair is also about allowing the industries that invest in content to be able to earn the kind of return on investment they need in order to raise capital, support production, hire writers, marketers, technicians, lawyers, butchers, bakers and candlestick makers, and bring the results to market. Continue reading “Why this Copyright Blogger likes Fair Use and Fair Dealing”

It’s better to stay together—even if not really happy–than to split up

Like two partners locked into a less than ideal marriage, but trying to make it work, Hollywood and China have their ups and downs, but yet stick together out of mutual need. It’s a juggling act, balancing box office revenue share, market access, cultural and political sensitivities, control of piracy and artistic integrity. Continue reading “Hollywood and China: A Tempestuous Love Affair”

When you get several major unions, the public broadcaster, five of the six largest national telecommunications providers, specialized TV providers, a major sports entertainment company, the country’s largest film festival, several major cinema exhibition chains, independent cinema operators, independent film producers and a combination of English-language, French-language and ethnic media all agreeing on one topic, that is very unusual. These various elements of the content food chain often have competing interests but the old adage of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” is very evident here. And in this case, the enemy is content theft perpetrated by offshore pirate websites via streaming and downloading. This is the common factor behind the creation and launch of Fair Play Canada on January 29 this year in Ottawa, Canada. Continue reading “The New Canadian Content Coalition: Hang Together or Hang Separately”

Canadians and Kiwis have a lot in common. For one thing, they both live in the shadow of larger neighbours who tend to take them for granted. It is particularly galling when a stranger mistakes a Canuck or a Kiwi for one of those culturally-dominant larger neighbours because of an unfortunate similarity of accent. Here is an insider tip. For those North Americans who cannot tell a New Zealander from an Aussie, simply ask them to say the simple word “yes”. If the response is a hissing “yiss”, then you know you have a live Kiwi in front of you. And for those Antipodeans who cannot separate a Canadian from an American, ask them to say the word “about”. If the response is something like “abowt”, then you’ll know they are from south of the 49^th parallel. If the response is “aboot”, then you’ve got a genuine Canuck. Continue reading “Canada and New Zealand: Both Wrestling with Offshore Piracy and Both Seeking an Effective Solution”