No Summer Holiday for the Supreme Court with Five Copyright Decisions

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NOSUMMERHOLIDAYFORTHESUPREMECOURTWITHFIVECOPYRIGHT
DECISIONS
ADAMMIZERA*
ROBIC,LLP
LAWYERS,PATENTANDTRADE-MARKAGENTS
TheissueofcopyrighttookfrontstageinDecember2011attheSupremeCourtof
Canadaasfiveappealswereheardoveratwodayperiod.InJuly2012,theSupreme
Courtrendereditsjudgmentsinthesecases.Thecasesmainlyarosefromappeals
ofCanadianCopyrightBoarddecisionsandconsideredavarietyofissuesin
copyrightlaw,rangingfromcommunicationstothepublic,moviesoundtracks,to
onlinemusicpreviewing.Asthenumberofdecisionscanbecountedonthefingersof
ahand,itappearsappropriatetoprovideaquick“ruleofthumb”summarizingthe
generalconclusionsofeachdecision.Thedollarsign($)meansanadditionalroyalty
mustbepaidandaØmeansthereisnoadditionalroyaltytopay
RogersCommunicationsInc.v.SOCAN(2012SCC35)
($)Ruleofthumb:Royaltiesmustbepaidforonlinestreamingservicesproviding
musicalworksovertheInternet,on-demandtoconsumers.Astreamofamusical
workfromtheInternettomultipleindividualscanbeconsideredtobea
“communicationtothepublic”andnotaprivatetransactionderivingfromadownload
ofaworktoasingleindividual.
EntertainmentSoftwareAssociationv.SOCAN(2012SCC34)
(Ø)Ruleofthumb:Anextraroyaltycannotbeimposedformusiccontainedin
downloadedvideogamesforwhicharoyaltyhasalreadybeenpaidtothecopyright
holder.ThefactthatthecontentisdeliveredovertheInternet,ratherthanthrough
storesorbymail,doesnotwarrantaseparate“communication”tariff.TheCopyright
Actshouldapplyequallytotraditionalandmoretechnologicallyadvancedformsof
thesamemedia,andthusensureaprincipleoftechnologicalneutrality.
SOCANv.BellCanada(2012SCC36)
(Ø)Ruleofthumb:Online30to90secondpreviewsofmusicalworksthatare
streamedtopotentialcustomersofInternetmusicprovidersconstitute“fairdealing”,
forthepurposeofresearch.ThetestforfairdealingwasarticulatedinCCHCanadian
©CIPS,2012.*FromROBIC,LLP,amultidisciplinaryfirmofLawyers,andPatentandTrade-markAgents.Published
intheSummer2012(Vol.16,no.2)Newsletterofthefirm.Publication068.151E.

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2
Ltd.v.LawSocietyofUpperCanada,andinvolvestwosteps.Thefirststepisto
determinewhetherthedealingisforthepurposeofeither“research”or“private
study”.Thesecondstepassesseswhetherthedealingis“fair”.Theconsumers’use
ofthepreviewscanbeconsideredtoberesearchforthepurposesoftheironline
purchase.Thefairnessanalysisishighlyfact-specificand,examinessixfactors,
including:thepurpose,character,andamountofthedealing;theexistenceofany
alternativestothedealing;thenatureofthework;andtheeffectofthedealingonthe
work.Inthepresentcase,thedealingwasdeemedfair.
Alberta(Education)v.AccessCopyright(2012SCC37)
(Ø)Ruleofthumb:Aphotocopyingroyaltyimposedonschoolboardsshouldbe
overturned.Photocopiesmadebyteachersfortheirstudentsaspartoftheir
instructioncanbeconsideredtobefairdealingforthepurposesofresearchor
privatestudy,accordingtothetestdetailedinSOCANv.BellCanadaandpresented
above.Theteacher/copiersharesacommonpurposewiththestudent/userwhois
engagedinresearchorprivatestudy.
Re:Soundv.MotionPictureTheatreAssociationsofCanada(2012SCC38)
(Ø)Ruleofthumb:Apublishedpre-existingsoundrecordingthataccompaniesafilm
aspartofitssoundtrackisnotsubjecttoaseparatetariffimposedon“sound
recordings”whenthefilmisshownintheatresoronTV.Thedefinitionofa“sound
recording”insection2oftheCopyrightActisratherexplicitasit“excludesany
soundtrackofacinematographicworkwhereitaccompaniesthecinematographic
work.”
Hopefully,courtswillnotbe“allthumbs”whenapplyingtheserulestofuture
decisions,particularlyinlightoftherecentamendmentsmadetotheCopyrightActin
Canada.However,atthedateofpublicationofthepresentarticle,these
amendmentsarenotyetinforce.Itwillbeinterestingtoseewhetherthesedecisions
andamendmentswillprovetobecoherent.Thiswillbethesubjectofafuturearticle
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