Posted by Richard Crowley on 10/23/07 18:40

"Bill" wrote ...
> Here we go again. It's like a Gilbert and Sullivan Operetta.

Remember that "Krazy Kanuk" is implying that he is in CA
and most of the responders are viewing the question from
the POV of US law.

> That said, check out:
>
> http://www.socan.com/jsp/en/resources/tariffs.jsp

There appears to be NO listed tarrifs for producers of either
audio or film/video recorded works. Either those tarrifs are
on some other page (?) or they are handled by some other
agency, or they are negotiated case-by case just like here in
the good ole' USA. :-((

> I don't know what category this would fall under,

A video recording which includes copyright-protected music
would appear to be covered by NONE of the categories on
that page.

The more I read about SOCAN (particularly their FAQ page)
the more it appears to be a *Performance Rights* organization.
Note that ALL the tarrifs refer to live performances, and NONE
of them refer to any recordings except those used to accompany
live performance (or to broadcast the performances).

They don't appear to deal with any kind of recording royalty
payments (equivalent to "mechanical rights" for sound
recordings or "synchronization rights" for film/video here in
the USA)

> but I suspect the fees will be quite reasonable. As in many, many areas
> over the past twenty years, the Canadian government has shown moderation
> and good sense where other governments have gone whacky. I find SOCAN
> generally "reasonable", if a bit bureaucratic.

Is there some *other* Canadian bueraucracy that handles
recording royalties? They would appear to be the ones who
control this sort of thing.

> I'll bet you will find that the cost of being "legal" in this instance
> will be quite fair and still allow you to make a profit from your DVDs.

I wouldn't be holding my breath.

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