Five landmark decisions released by the Supreme Court of Canada will streamline copyright licensing and help to grow the online market for digital content protected by copyright. That is my argument in this editorial published in the Financial Post.
As well as my editorial, my comments on the case were reported widely in the media. The CBC, for example, quoted:
Intervener Applauds Ruling
Jeremy de Beer, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa who was an intervener in the cases on behalf of the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic, said this is a good day for online music customers. Prices may not necessarily drop, but the marketplace might expand, he said.
“I think in the medium term we’re going to see an expansion of online music services — legitimate opportunities to buy and sell digital music on the internet — because the process for clearing the rights got a lot simpler and less expensive with these judgments,” he said.
A bigger online music market is also good for the artists and creators, de Beer said.
“I think the key to an online thriving music market is to make it simple and competitive, and the more services we have for consumers to chose from, the better and the less likely it is that they’ll use file sharing sites or other alternatives,” he said.
David Fewer and I acted as co-counsel for the University of Ottawa’s Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic, which intervened in all five cases.