Volume I

Issue : 11: November 27, 2003

• European Court Rules that Sounds Can be Trade-Marks
• Privacy Commissioner Finds After-the-fact Consent Ineffective
• UN Releases E-Commerce and Development Report 2003
• Internet E-Commerce Complaints Make Top Ten List in Consumer Complaints Survey
• Coca-Cola Ltd. Wins Right to "cocacola.ca" Via CIRA Domain Name Dispute Process
• FTC Comments on Consumer-Directed Promotion of Prescription Drugs
• Extraction of Public Domain Data from a Database Does Not Breach Copyright
• Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Landmark Case (Tariff 22)
• Alberta Enacts Privacy Legislation

Home > Volume I > Issue 11: November 27, 2003 > Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Landmark Case (Tariff 22)

Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Landmark Case (Tariff 22)

The Supreme Court of Canada has heard arguments in the so-called Tariff 22 case involving the question of new tariffs for online music. At issue is whether Internet Service Providers (ISPs), both domestic and foreign, should begin paying tariffs to Canadian copyright holders for Canadian music downloaded by Canadians through the Internet. At present, no royalties are being collected by various Canadian artist organizations such as SOCAN (the 70,000-member Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) on the digital music and videos downloaded from the Internet. SOCAN seeks to extend Canada's copyright law beyond its borders by applying it to offshore websites that serve Canadians. ISPs in turn argue that as mere providers of the technology, they should not be paying any royalty payments to music artists. The Supreme Court is not expected to rule on the case for at least six months.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/12/03/copyright031203