Canadian Music Week: ISPs sidestep criticism in collective music licensing debate

TORONTO – Internet service providers got little more than a slap on the wrist Friday during a Canadian Music Week session billed as 'ISP Liability on Trial', where panellists debated the role of ISPs in protecting the rights of music creators and publishers in the on-line world. Although there was a palpable feeling of frustration emanating from David Basskin, president and CEO of the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA), most of Basskin’s disdain was targeted at the Federal Government which had no representation on the panel. Collective rights management agencies such as CMRRA and SOCAN (the Society of Composers,...