In early November, SOCAN (the Canadian performing rights collective) announced the entering into of a new agreement which probably should have garnered more attention than it did: YouTube earnings unlocked for SOCAN members. The basics of the new arrangement are this: SOCAN has entered into an agreement with Audiam, an organization which licenses “synchronization” right…
The Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) recently published the first in a series of white papers dedicated to branded entertainment in Canada. The first white paper, released at Merging Media in Vancouver on November 6-7, 2013 focused on The Branded Entertainment Landscape. The second white paper focusing on the issues facing Canadian independent film, TV…
A couple of noteworthy recent publications relating to the Canadian video game industry: the Entertainment Software Association of Canada has released the final version of its report Canada’s Video Game Industry in 2013 (prepared by Nordicity) (further info from ESAC available here) the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) recently released The Legal Status of Video Games:…
Almost a year ago, we noted (You’re Getting Sued for What? An E&O Odyssey (Pt 9)) that the owners of the late author William Faulkner’s intellectual property rights had sued Sony Pictures Classics for copyright infringement based on the inclusion of a line in the 2011 movie Midnight in Paris (“The past is not dead. Actually,…
Often when practicing entertainment law, particularly in Canada, attempts to analyze a particular situation run up against a road-block: there seems to be no caselaw covering the issue, and you’re stymied as to how to advise your client (beyond offering the most banal observations like “Well, there’s a risk”). Then, of course, the second-guessing begins:…