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SOCAN Responds To Court Decision On Ringtones

PostPosted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 8:34 pm
by Marsbar
I'm very much in support of artists getting their fair payment for their creativity and time.

March 9, 2015

SOCAN is pleased with the decision of the Federal Court Trial Division, issued March 6, 2015, concerning royalties collected for musical ringtones.

Mr. Justice O’Reilley concluded that wireless carriers, including Rogers, Telus, Bell and Vidéotron, were not entitled to a refund of ringtone royalties paid from 2004 to June 2012.

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“This decision is extremely important for SOCAN members,” stated Gilles Daigle, General Counsel and Head of Legal Services at SOCAN. “The prospect of having to go back to thousands of our members and ask them to refund a total of $15 million, paid years ago, was unthinkable.”

It remains to be seen whether SOCAN will have the right to collect royalties for ringtones and other music downloads for periods subsequent to 2012.

This is a legal issue currently being considered by the Copyright Board of Canada as part of its examination of a new “making available right” introduced in the Canadian Copyright Act in November 2012.