CRIA says defeat is victory
p2pnet.net News:- In a statement reminiscent of former chief RIAA fact realignment specialist Hilary Rosen’s efforts to turn pigs’ ears into silk purses, record industry apologist Richard Pfohl says the Canadian SOCAN defeat was a, “very good outcome for Canadian record companies”.
Canada’s Supreme Court has decided unanimously that ISPs are “intermediaries” who aren’t bound by Canadian copyright legislation.
In 2000 the Big Five record labels were knowingly and deliberately peddling records with obscene and/or violent and/or sexually suggestive content, to kids, said a highly critical Federal Trade Commissioner report. Of 55 music recordings with explicit content labels the FTC reviewed, all were aimed at children under 17 and 2001 saw a follow-up which singled out the Big Five record labels for further deep criticism.
“I think that it is hypocritical for the music industry to claim that it is helping parents by placing a parental advisory [explicit content] label on a CD, while at the same time undermining parents by aggressively marketing the same CD to children,” said Federal Trade Commissioner Orson Swindle. He also went so far as to write a separate statement concluding, “After over 12 months of scrutiny, reports, and numerous recommendations, the music industry and retailers have chosen to do next to nothing.”
“We are heartened that the Federal Trade Commission’s report did reflect the many steps we have taken and the progress we have made to strengthen our program,” said Rosen a puff release.
Masterly. But Pfohl, general counsel to Big Music’s Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA), isn’t bad either.
“Contrary to press reports on yesterday’s Supreme Court decision on SOCAN’s tariff for Internet Service Providers, the decision is not a ’set back’ for the music industry,” says Pfohl, .
“The Court clearly affirms that Canada’s Copyright Act applies to the Internet. This is a very good outcome for Canadian record companies.”
Last year, to the Big Five record labels’ fury, the Copyright Board of Canada ruled that downloading is legal in Canada.
July 3rd, 2004 at 5:33 pm
Pfohl keeps saying the same thing. This guy has no credibility since he continues to say that despite the court ruling, file sharing is illegal.
July 3rd, 2004 at 6:55 pm
What does the federal trades commission have to do with the Supreme Court decision? Your stretching it a bit in editorializing a subject that has no relevance to this decision. This decision doesnt have anything to do with obsene material created/distributed by the big five with parental advisories slapped on it. This is about holding ISP’s accountable for acts done by it’s subscribers, sorta like trying to hold smith and wesson accountable for a murder or bank robbery.
The writer has left out a portion of the decision that has relevance; if an ISP is served notice that unauthorized material is on it’s system and fails to remove it, the ISP may be held liable. Not exactly a slam dunk loss for SOCAN who manages/collects royalties for artists in Canada.
July 3rd, 2004 at 11:11 pm
You’ve missed the point – this is about the way the music industry tries to make a failure look like a success. Rosen tried to make a strong criticisim from the FTC look like a pat on the back and Pfol tried to make a blow look like it was positive.
July 3rd, 2004 at 11:20 pm
It doesn’t matter if you have missed the point or not. People who download music without paying for it are thieves.
The artists work hard to make the music and the record companies work just as hard to make it available.
So if you want it, go out and buy it. Don’t steal it.
July 4th, 2004 at 12:24 am
The last post is from a complete IDIOT.
In Canada, we already PAY FOR THE RIGHT to download music, under fair use and along with the CD/Casette/DAT tax, we are LEGALLY ALLOWED.
You moron, it is NOT ILLEGAL. Nevermind the fact that people can’t seperate the idea of a lossy, compressed audio file with the full waveform, undistilled audio. True music lovers would and do regularly.
Now, STFU you shill for the music industry. I personally only bought music during my “DJ” days, so I have a ton of mp3’s that I’ve ripped from my collection, and DO NOT share. But if I lent the discs to my friends, it’s LEGAL for them to rip it, copy, convert, make mixed CD/Tapes, etc.
Now, go back under your rock, you RIAA snake.
July 4th, 2004 at 1:39 am
Yeh.. and i bet you don’t pay for it.. somewhere in here is a story about a music guy ni australia and cd’s……
wait up while i find it …..
here ya go – http://p2pnet.net/story/1565
July 4th, 2004 at 6:34 pm
only an American would say that a complete loss in the courts is a victory. The other posts are right what a bunch of IDIOTS the music industry is.