Supreme Court Says Broadcast Right Doesn’t Include Right to Pre-Record

1990-01-01

SUPREMECOURTSAYSBROADCASTRIGHTDOESN’TINCLUDERIGHTTOPRE-
RECORD

by
BobH.Sotiriadis
LEGERROBICRICHARD,Lawyers
ROBIC,Patent&TrademarkAgents
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Therighttobroadcastamusicalworkdoesnotincludcetheincidentalright
tomakeapre-broadcast”ephemeral”recordingofthework,theSupreme
CourtofCanadaheldrecently.Therulingestablishestheprinciplethat,inthe
absenceofaclearprovisionintheCanadianCopyrightAct,acomposeror
lyricistdoesnotimplicitlyconsenttothemakingofephemeralrecordingsby
grantingalicence
tobroadcastaperformanceofthework.(Télé-Métropolev.MichaelBishop,
August16,1990).

Télé-MétropoleisaMontreal-basedtelevisionbroad-castingcompany.
MichaelBishopisamusicianwhocomposedthewordstothesong”Stay”.He
sentacopyofthesongtoaBritishperformingrightssociety(PRS),whichwas
associatedwithaCanadianPRS.TheCanadianPRSwaslegallyentitledto
collectfeesforperformingrights(i.e.,broadcasting)andtopassthemonto
thecopyright
holder.
AsingernamedMartinStevens(alsoknownasMarcelPrud’homme),after
tryingunsuccessfullytoobtainrightsinthesongfromBishop,recordedthe
songandarrangedtoappearoncertainpopulartelevisionshows.
Télé-Métropolebroadcasttwosuchperformances,andusedapre-recorded
tapeineachcase.However,thebroadcasterdidnotknowthatStevenswas
nottheauthorofthesong.Furthermore,Télé-Métropolepaidtheappropriate
performingrightsfeestotheCanadianPRSforthebroadcast.Thesefeeswere
passedontotheBritishPRSandthentoBishophimself.
AdditionalPaymentSought.Bishopwas,therefore,paidforthebroadcastor
performanceofhiswork,butnotfortherecording.Actingthrougha
CanadianMusicalReproductionRightsAgency,BishopsuedTélé-Métropole,
allegingtheinfringementofhiscopyrightinthesong.

Hisbasicassertionwasthat,althoughtheperformingrightsforthesonghad
beenproperlypaidfor,Télé-Métropolehadinfringedhiscopyrightby
recordingthesongwithoutfirstobtaininghispermission.Notwithstandingthat
therecordingwasintendedtobeusedonlytofacilitatethebroadcasts,for
whichTélé-Métropolepaidtheperformancefees,Bishopinsistedonthe
paymentofwhatamountedtoadditionalfeeswithrespecttotherecording.
Thebroadcasterrepliedthatperformancerightsinthebroadcastingdomain
includetherighttomakeephemeralrecordingstofacilitatethebroadcastor
performance.ItinvitedthecourttogivethisinterpretationtotheActinlight
oftechnologicaladvancesintheindustrythatwerenotcontemplatedbythe
draftersoftheoriginalActsome70yearsearlier.
Unlikea”true”recording,whichismadeinordertobereproducedandwidely
propagated,Télé-Métropolearguedthatan”ephemeral”recordingismade
onlywithaviewtoreachingthesameaudiencethatwouldhavebeen
reachedbyalivebroadcastorperformance.Sincethevastmajorityof
televisionbroadcastsarepre-recorded,Télé-Métropoleurgedthattherightto
pre-recordisanaccessorytotherighttobroadcastorperform,andthatan
authorwhograntsalicensetobroadcasthisorherworkimpliedlyconsentsto
themakingofephemeralrecordings.
Initsjudgment,thecourtwasobligedtocommentonthedistinction
betweentworightsgrantedundertheAct:therighttorecordandtherightto
perform.TheirseparateenumerationintheActledthecourttoconcludethat
thesearedistinctrightsbothintheoryandinpractice.Therightsareoften
treatedseparatelyinthecontractualdomain,theHonorableJustice
McLachlinnoted;itiscommon,forexample,forperformanceandrecording
rightstobeassignedseparately.
Thecourtfurtherstatedthat,becauseaperformanceispublicinnature,
thereisagreaterlikelihoodthatcopyinginsuchcaseswillcometotheartist’s
attention.Shedistinguishedthissituationfromthatwhichprevailsinthecase
ofrecordings,whicharepermanentandmaybecopiedeasily,privately,and
precisely.Asaresultoftheseconsiderations,thecourtheldthatrecording
rightsandperformancerightsmeritseparatetreatmentandseparate
schemesofprotection.
LegislationLikely.Thislitigation,asmentionedabove,resultedpartlyfromthe
absenceofaspecificprovisionintheCanadianCopyrightActdealingwith
ephemeralrecordings.CanadaneveradheredtotheBrusselsConventionon
satellitesignalsand,therefore,neveradoptedanexplicitlegislative
exemptionauthorizingsuchrecordings.

Consequently,theSupremeCourtoptedforaliteralinterpretationoftheAct
onthisquestion,whilemakingclearitsreluctancetoruleonamatterof
policywhich,itconcluded,fallswithinthelegislature’spurview.Itislikelythat
Parliamentwillenacttheappropriateexemptioninthenearfuture.
TheTélé-Métropoledecision,therefore,clarifiesthequestionofcopyrightin
ephemeralrecordingsinCanada.Thecourtdoesnotcondemnorprohibit
thepractice,butsimplyadvisesbroadcasterswishingtopre-recordin
Canadato”maketheappropriatearrangementswiththeholderofthe
recordingrights.”
Publishedat(1990),4W.I.P.R.268-269underthetitleSupremeCourtSays
BroadcastDoesn’tIncludeRighttoPre-Record.
LEGERROBICRICHARD,1990.

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