By David Farrell
Ottawa does a 180 on CanCon funding from streamers
Canada's broadcast and telecom regulator says it's inevitable that foreign media companies streaming content into Canada, including Netflix and Amazon, will have to make an "equitable" contribution to the production of Canadian content. But…Chair Ian Scott says it’s not that simple. — Terry Pedwell, CP
300 schools must turn in teaching plans as part of copyright lawsuit
Most education departments across the country are involved in a legal dispute with Access Copyright, an organization that represents and collects royalties for tens of thousands of Canadian writers, artists and publishers.
The lawsuit has been ongoing since February 2018. The disagreement is over how much fees schools need to pay to copy published material. — CBC News
Bell Media news
Suzane Landry has been appointed Vice-President, French-Language Content Development and Programming for Bell Media. A journalist by training, Landry started her career nearly 30 years ago as a reporter. She transitioned into production where she developed and produced content for various broadcasters. In addition to having extensive experience in content creation, brand management, and production, she spent 13 years in programming, including the last six years, responsible for Quebecor’s portfolio of specialty entertainment channels.
Drake, LeBron James and former Sportsnet president Scott Moore have signed an “exclusive” partnership with Bell Media for their Uninterrupted content brand that includes everything from docs to podcasts and a YouTube channel featuring sports personalities.
Rogers takes the lead on 5G
The communications firm has opened a 9,000 square foot retail space at Yonge/Dundas in Toronto to showcase the wireless, connected home technology, and media content for consumers and businesses. The showroom opening ties in with a separate announcement that Rogers Communications and the University of Waterloo have signed a multi-million dollar partnership in an effort to advance 5G research in the Toronto-Waterloo area and also launch the first smart campus running on 5G in central Canada.
Treehouse logo copyright dispute goes up in smoke for a cannabis company
Nelvana animation studio and media company owned by Corus Entertainment won a default judgment against an Oklahoma cannabis dispensary over its copyright infringement of a long-used children’s television program logo.
The ruling was granted after the cannabis retailer, Treehouse Dispensary LLC, failed to plead or defend itself against the legal action, according to an Oklahoma court judgment. — David Lao, Global News
Broadcast news outlets cry foul over gov’t newspaper subsidies
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) says the way the government is distributing its media subsidies is unfair.
Private broadcasters, including Jim Pattison Broadcast Group, were excluded from applying for funding to hire reporters under the Local Journalism Initiative. — Alison Sandstrom, paNow
The rise of ‘Schitt’s Creek’
The series is wrapping up just as it achieved something like mainstream success. For its creators and stars, that’s the perfect time to go. — Lara Zarum, The New York Times
The war addiction of American cable TV
The same people justifying the 2003 disaster war in Iraq are once again on screen justifying US aggression. — Andrew Mitrovica, AlJazeera
The surge in scripted TV shows is ‘just bananas’ says Disney exec
The U.S. TV industry released 532 scripted shows last year, an annual increase of 7%, as the competition for viewers intensified with the introduction of new streaming services like Disney+.
However, the surge is raising the cost of making TV shows, while the growing volume means many programs don’t get the attention or audience they need to be successful, according to John Landgraf, who runs Walt Disney Co.’s FX networks. — Lucas Shaw, Bloomberg
The Y2K bug is back, causing headaches for developers again
Twenty years ago, some developers dealt with the millennium bug by postponing it until... now. — Daphne Leprince-Ringuet, ZDNet
Sonos sues Google for copyright infringements, failure to negotiate fairly
Sonos, the smart-speaker company, claims Google has violated five of its patents. Sonos filed a lawsuit yesterday in federal court in California and with the U.S. International Trade Commission seeking redress that it says it has been unable to obtain in discussions with the tech conglomerate over years of working with Google.
Sonos also claims that Amazon has infringed on its innovations but says it cannot afford to take on both companies in court at once. — Thom Forbes, MediaPost
Alone, alienated and angry: What the digital revolution really did to us
We were promised community, civics, and convenience. Instead, we found ourselves dislocated, distrustful, and disengaged. — Joseph Bernstein, BuzzFeed
How to stop Uber, Hulu, Pornhub, and more from selling your data
Sean Captain analyzed the data sale policies for some of the biggest consumer-facing companies, in terms of sales, global web traffic, and just how pervasive they are in our lives. He also offers advice on how to disengage the trolls. — Fast Company
