Network Services rules – what CISAC calls Safe Harbor Provisions, which have long been identified as a major source of harm to creators, are the subject of a comprehensive economic study produced by the University of Texas. Led by Professors Stan Liebowitz and Ashbel Smith, the “Economic Analysis of Safe Harbor Provisions” was commissioned by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), on behalf of its 239 member societies and over four million creative members around the globe.
“This study shows that the limitation of liability rules established for the Internet of the twentieth century need to be urgently revised in the twenty-first century,” said CISAC Director General Gadi Oron in support of the published study. “Instead of shielding internet companies that merely offer storage facilities, as was their original purpose, safe harbours are today being used to shield tech giants from rewarding creators for their work”.
SODRAC’s General Manager Alain Lauzon also welcomes this study: “The data and conclusions of this study abound in the direction of the argument that has been held for years about Article 31.1 on the Network Services of the Copyright Act. The Statutory Review of the Act, which is currently being initiated by the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, will provide an opportunity to finally review this aspect, which affects the rights and revenues of our creators. ” The reform of the Copyright Act passed in 2012 provided that it would be subject to parliamentary review after five years.
You can read more about the study here.