ARCHIVED — Cuban

COPYRIGHT REFORM PROCESS

SUBMISSIONS RECEIVED REGARDING THE CONSULTATION PAPERS

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Documents received have been posted in the official language in which they were submitted. All are posted as received by the departments, however all address information has been removed.

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Submission from Mark Cuban received on June 22, 2001 4:13 PM via e-mail

Subject: Copyright input

> I have only a very simple response.
>
> If the goal is
> Shared Access by Canadians to a Vibrant Broadcasting System
>
> The Licence should continue to support the achievement of the objectives
of
> the broadcasting policy for Canada set out in the Broadcasting Act,
> including by helping to ensure that all Canadians, no matter where they
> live, continue to have appropriate, shared access to diverse cultural
> content provided by Canada's broadcasting system.
>
> Then the ability to receive signals should also apply to Canadians no
matter
> where they work as well. A simple survey will prove out that few Canadians
> are able to receive television, whether over the air, through DTH or
through
> Cable at work. In addition, there are so many roadblocks, via pricing and
> physical limitations of buildings, that many Canadians will NEVER be able
to
> cost effectively have access to Canada's broadcasting system, EXCEPT
through
> what is being referred to as the internet.
>
> This is a critical differentiation not only for cultural reasons, but for
> safety reasons as well. At home TV and Radio, regardless of how they are
> received are critical sourses of real-time safety information, whether it
be
> about the weather, road accidents, or events of consequence or tragedy.
> These sources are not available at the office. If there were an emergency
in
> the street outside a building in Toronto, ONLY the internet would be
> available to serve as a real time source of safety information because few
> if any workers have TVs on their desks, many, if not most have Personal
> Computers. The ability to receive a TV station on one's computer at work
> with up to the second safety information from a trusted reporter could
make
> the difference between Canadian citizens living or dying.
>
> One only has to look at the results of the DMCA in the US to see that the
> primary result has been litigation. Lots and lots of litigation against
> those companies who are the most progressive and innovative , filed by
those
> who stand to gain the most from the status quo. Associations representing
> LARGE copyright holders, not individuals, have cried wolf about lost
sales,
> but the reality has been that there is a reverse relationship between
> litigation and music sales. Prior to the DMCA and its pursuant litigation,
> music sales grew. This year, at the height of litigation, music sales have
> stagnated and declined.
>
> Canada actually stands to gain as a stronghold for the digital media
> industry as a result of the stranglehold the music industry has placed on
US
> based internet digital media companies. Companies would move to Canada,
> entreprenuers would be encouraged to start companies here. The telecom
> industry would boom as the need for bandwidth would increase and the
balance
> of trade of bandwidth would swing from bandwidth for incoming US based
> content, to bandwith of Canadian content branching out to the US.
>
> Please place the interest of Canadians above those of the Music Industry
>
> thank you
> Mark

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