[Ecommerce] Compliance with WIPO?

[Manon Ress]

FYI:
http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050120.gtwipo0120/BNStory/Technology/
The following letter has been received in response to Jack Kapica's
story Canadians lag in on-line music sales: Report (Jan. 19):

Dear Editor:

I think the following paragraph of Jack Kapica's story may be
misleading: "In a report issued last year, the Canadian government
acknowledged that the private copying system might not be compliant with
the WIPO Internet treaties. To ensure that it is compliant, Canada would
have to extend the benefits of the levy to sound recordings and
performers from all countries that have ratified the treaty. The cost of
doing so would dramatically increase the levy, thereby resulting in even
higher prices for blank CDs for Canadians."

The only Canadian government report to actually consider whether Canada
would have to pay the private copying levy for sound recordings and
performers from foreign countries concluded the exact opposite: that
Canada would not have to extend national treatment (and pay the private
copying levy) to foreign nationals for sound recordings and performances.

The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage heard a full day of
testimony on this subject and concluded in its Interim Report on
Copyright Reform, dated May, 2004, that WIPO ratification does not
require Canada to modify the existing private copying regime.

No government reports have concluded to the contrary. Previous
government reports had asked whether this was an issue, but they had
never actually considered it. This is the first and only government
report to actually consider the question, and it has determined that
this is a non-issue.

Richard Pfohl, General Counsel, Canadian Recording Industry Association

--
Manon Anne Ress
manon.ress@cptech.org,
www.cptech.org

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