Professional Documents
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________________
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CANADA
(ON APPEAL FROM THE FEDERAL COURT OF APPEAL)
B E T W E E N:
Respondents
(Appellants)
Kenneth R. Clark
Tel: 416.865.4736
Email: kclark@airdberlis.com
Paul V. McCallen
Tel: 416.865.7728
Email: pmccallen@airdberlis.com
Patrick Copeland
Tel: 416.865.3969
Email: pcopeland@airdberlis.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2. Reasons for Order and Order of the Federal Court dated July 28, 2016 6
4. Memorandum of Argument 72
5. Letter from the Honourable James Moore and the Honourable Shelly 98
Glover (2013)
6. Email dated April 28, 2016 from Ken Clark to Rogers 103
B E T W E E N:
Respondents
(Appellants)
TAKE NOTICE that Rogers Communications Inc. applies for leave to appeal to the
Court, under section 40 of the Supreme Court Act, from the judgment of the Federal Court of
Appeal, File No. A-278-16, made May 9, 2017, and for any further or other order that the Court
may deem appropriate.
AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that this application for leave is made on the following
grounds:
1. This case the first to interpret key provisions of the Copyright Act that came into force
in January 2015 raises questions of national and public importance relating to the
notice and notice system, a unique model developed by Canadian internet service
providers to discourage online copyright infringement. It impacts all internet-using
Canadians, including the vast majority who do not engage in online infringement.
23812832
002
2. Notice and notice began as a voluntary system created by Canadian ISPs as an alternative
to American notice and take-down, which has been criticized for preferring the rights
of copyright owners over users.
3. In 2012, Parliament made notice and notice mandatory, by enacting sections 41.25 and
41.26 of the Copyright Act (the Notice and Notice Provisions).
4. The Notice and Notice Provisions provide copyright owners with options if they become
aware of online infringement. Copyright owners can send a notice to ISPs that one of
their subscribers has infringed copyright. ISPs are required to forward that notice to the
subscriber and retain (for six months) records allowing the identity of the subscriber to be
determined. Under the Notice and Notice Provisions, ISPs are not currently permitted to
charge fees for their section 41.26 obligations of transmitting a notice to a subscriber and
retaining records (which they never did under the voluntary system in any event).
5. The Notice and Notice Provisions are silent on how a copyright owner can obtain
disclosure of the subscribers identity from ISPs. However, there is a long-standing
common law remedy the Norwich order which enables copyright owners to obtain an
alleged infringers identity by asking a court for an order for third party discovery.
6. Because they are directed at innocent information-holders, courts require the party
seeking a Norwich order to reimburse third parties for any costs of compliance that they
incur. Prior to the enactment of the Notice and Notice Provisions, this was a required
aspect of any such order.
7. The respondents in this application (collectively Voltage) asked the courts below to
relieve them of the obligation to reimburse ISPs for their costs of compliance with
Norwich orders. Voltage argued that the Notice and Notice Provisions impose broad
obligations which ISPs must discharge without reimbursement, so reimbursement should
not be permitted when a Norwich order is granted.
8. This application asks the Court to consider the scope of ISPs obligations under the
Notice and Notice Provisions.
2
003
9. The Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal disagreed with each other on this issue.
10. The Federal Court found that the Notice and Notice Provisions required two things: (1)
forwarding the notice and (2) retaining records. As a result, it concluded that the common
law of Norwich orders had not been modified, and innocent third party ISPs retained the
right to recover the costs they incurred in responding to such orders.
11. The Court of Appeal reversed, holding that the Notice and Notice Provisions imposed
seven discrete obligations on ISPs (both express and implied), including the form in
which records must be kept and (potentially) the required timeline for disclosure.
Therefore ISPs could not recover the large majority of their costs in responding to those
requests. It suggested that ISPs pass those costs along to their subscribers, i.e., Canadians
with an internet subscription.
12. ISPs play a crucial role in facilitating internet access and therefore the digital economy.
While this Court has been clear that the consequences of disputes between copyright
owners and users should not be visited on the heads of ISPs, the Court of Appeals
decision does precisely that. If upheld, the decision imposes costs and burdens on ISPs
that are not contemplated by the legislative scheme, and that will require innocent users
to bear compliance costs that should be borne by infringers.
13. Rogers therefore seeks leave to appeal so the Court can provide guidance on the
following issues:
1. What are the obligations imposed on Canadian ISPs by the Notice and Notice
Provisions?
3
004
Dated at Ottawa, in the Province of Ontario, this 4th day of August, 2017.
4
005
COPIES TO:
Kenneth R. Clark
Tel: 416.865.4736
Email: kclark@airdberlis.com
Paul V. McCallen
Tel: 416.865.7728
Email: pmccallen@airdberlis.com
Patrick Copeland
Tel: 416.865.3969
Email: pcopeland@airdberlis.com
5
006
Date: 20160728
Docket: T-662-16
BETWEEN:
Applicants
And
Respondent
And
Non-Party Respondent
(Applicants Disclosure Motion Only)
007
Page: 2
And
Intervener
[1] The Applicants have initiated a proposed class proceeding claiming, amongst other
things, declaratory and injunctive relief against the Respondent whose identity is presently
unknown to them. It is alleged that the Respondent (and others like him or her) has engaged in
illegal file sharing over the Internet, and thereby infringed the Applicants copyrights in several
films.
[2] The Applicants wish to have this matter certified as a so-called reverse class action,
and towards that end they have made a motion for an order compelling Rogers Communications
Inc. [Rogers] to disclose any and all contact and personal information of a Rogers customer [the
Subscriber] associated with an identified Internet protocol address at the various times and dates
as set out in Schedule A to their motion. They request such an order in accordance with
sections 41.25 and 41.26 of the Copyright Act, RSC 1985, c C-42. The Applicants also request,
as part of an order requiring Rogers to disclose the identity of the Subscriber, a further order that
there shall be no fees or disbursements payable by them to Rogers in complying with the order
for disclosure.
008
Page: 3
[3] Rogers takes no position on whether the Applicants have met the applicable requirements
for obtaining a disclosure order. It does, however, oppose the Applicants request to deny Rogers
reasonable compensation and costs in complying with any order requiring it to disclose the
determine whether any disclosure should be ordered. Its role in the Applicants motion for
disclosure was limited to providing the Court with submissions as to the type and quantity of
identification data to be provided by Rogers, the limits that may be imposed on the use of such
data, and the form of notice that may be required to be provided to the Respondent when served
[5] For the reasons that follow, I have determined that Rogers must disclose to the
Applicants only the Subscribers name and address as recorded in its records. Rogers should not
be compelled to disclose any other personal information about the Subscriber it may have in its
records, such as his or her email address or telephone number. I have further determined that
Rogers is entitled to be compensated for providing such disclosure to the Applicants and also
should be awarded its costs in respect of this motion in a lump sum amount of $500 (inclusive of
I. Issues
1. Should Rogers be ordered to disclose any and all contact and personal information
Applicants?
II. Analysis
A. Should Rogers be ordered to disclose any and all contact and personal information about
the Subscriber?
[7] The Applicants request a disclosure order in accordance with sections 41.25 and 41.26
(b) for the purpose set out in subsection 31.1(4), the digital
memory that is used for the electronic location to which the claim
of infringement relates; or
(a) state the claimants name and address and any other particulars
prescribed by regulation that enable communication with the
claimant;
(d) specify the location data for the electronic location to which the
claimed infringement relates;
(f) specify the date and time of the commission of the claimed
infringement; and
(b) retain records that will allow the identity of the person to whom
the electronic location belongs to be determined, and do so for six
months beginning on the day on which the notice of claimed
infringement is received or, if the claimant commences
proceedings relating to the claimed infringement and so notifies
the person before the end of those six months, for one year after
the day on which the person receives the notice of claimed
(2) The Minister may, by regulation, fix the maximum fee that a
person may charge for performing his or her obligations under
subsection (1). If no maximum is fixed by regulation, the person
may not charge any amount under that subsection.
[8] The Applicants contend that these two provisions of the Copyright Act, referred to as the
so-called notice and notice regime, ground the basis for a disclosure order in this case and,
moreover, must be interpreted to deny Rogers any compensation for compliance with such an
order because, as the parties acknowledge, no fee has been fixed by regulation pursuant to
subsection 41.26(2). The Applicants submissions in this regard are without merit. Their request
for a disclosure order in accordance with sections 41.25 and 41.26 is misguided. Nowhere in
these provisions is it explicitly stated that there can or must be an application or motion for a
disclosure order in respect of the information required to be recorded and retained pursuant to
012
Page: 7
paragraph 41.26(1)(b). Moreover, nowhere in these provisions is it explicitly stated that a fee or
service providers [ISP] such as Rogers in 2013, prior to these provisions coming into force in
January 2015, did state that a subscribers identity may be released to the copyright owner with
a court order. However, nowhere in these legislative provisions is there any reference to
regard, it is apt to note the Supreme Court of Canadas decision in Parry Sound (District) Social
Services Administration Board v OPSEU, Local 324, 2003 SCC 42, [2003] 2 SCR 157, where
[10] Furthermore, the following comments of Justice Stone for the Federal Court of Appeal in
Glaxo Wellcome PLC v Minister of National Revenue, [1998] 4 FCR 439, [1998] FCJ No 874
013
Page: 8
[Glaxo Wellcome], also serve to undermine the Applicants over-broad interpretation of the
[11] The notice and notice regime does not provide any detailed or comprehensive
mechanism for copyright owners such as the Applicants to enforce their rights as against alleged
infringers. At best, it provides a mechanism for copyright owners to send a notice of claimed
infringement via an ISP to an alleged infringer with the knowledge that there will be records
available at some later date to determine the identity of such infringer if necessary. An ISP such
as Rogers is only obligated under section 41.26(1) to do two things: (1) forward the copyright
owners notice of claimed infringement electronically to the pertinent Internet protocol address;
and (2) retain records to allow the subscribers identity to be determined for specified periods of
time depending on whether the copyright owner has or has not commenced proceedings relating
to the claimed infringement. The fact that no regulation has been made to fix the maximum fee
that an ISP may charge for performing these obligations speaks, not to whether no fee or
compensation can be paid to comply with a disclosure order but, rather, to the current policy
under the notice and notice regime that the costs of complying with these obligations is, at
[12] Contrary to the Applicants arguments, Parliaments intention in enacting sections 41.25
and 41.26 was not one of irresistible clearness to abrogate and depart from established law and
principles with respect to so-called Norwich disclosure orders emanating from the decision in
Norwich Pharmacal Co. v. Customs & Excise Commissioners (1973), [1974] A.C. 133 (UK HL).
Appeal in Glaxo Wellcome, and in BMG Canada Inc v Doe, 2005 FCA 193, [2005] 4 FCR 81
[13] The principles emanating from BMG that should be considered when making a Norwich
1. The applicant for a Norwich order must have a bona fide case;
2. The party against whom such an order is to be issued must have information on an
3. An order of the Court is the only reasonable means by which the information can be
obtained;
015
Page: 10
4. Fairness dictates that the information be provided prior to discovery or trial or, in
proceeding; and
[14] I am satisfied that the Applicants have adduced sufficient evidence, notably in the
Affidavit of Daniel Macek, to show that they have a bona fide claim that unknown persons are
infringing the copyright in their films. Consequently, they have a right to have the identity of the
Subscriber revealed and disclosed for the purpose of pursuing their proposed class proceeding.
This right flows from established case law such as that noted above; it does not flow from and is
not grounded in any way by the notice and notice provisions of the Copyright Act.
[15] I am also satisfied that the other principles emanating from BMG dictate that an order
[16] In addressing this issue, I note (as did the Court of Appeal in BMG) that caution must be
exercised in ordering disclosure of information about the Subscriber to make sure that privacy
rights are invaded in the most minimal way. I further note the Courts approach to disclosure in
Voltage Pictures LLC v John Doe, 2014 FC 161 [Voltage], where the email address of the ISPs
customer was not ordered to be disclosed, as well as the Interveners argument that the
016
Page: 11
information to be disclosed by Rogers to the Applicants should not exceed the Subscribers name
and address associated with the Internet protocol address alleged to be associated with the
name and address as recorded in Rogers records. The release of this information by Rogers shall
remain confidential and not be disclosed to any other parties without further order of the Court
and shall only be used by the Applicants in connection with their proposed class proceeding.
Furthermore, the Applicants shall not be permitted to disclose to the general public by making or
issuing any statement to the media with respect to the information obtained from Rogers.
[18] The record shows that Rogers was prepared to disclose information about the Subscriber
upon the Applicants submitting a proposed form of order and prior payment of a fee of $100 per
hour plus HST to cover its costs associated with compiling such information. The Applicants
refused to do so because of their view that the notice and notice provisions of the Copyright
Act preclude Rogers from imposing or collecting any such fee. For the reasons stated above, that
view is misguided.
[19] In any event, the Applicants contend that even if Rogers is entitled to a fee for disclosing
information about the Subscriber, that fee is at best minimal and should be at most 50 cents per
subscriber because most of the information has already been collected and assembled by Rogers
017
Page: 12
in complying with its obligations under subsection 41.26(1) of the Copyright Act. Moreover, the
Applicants assert that the fee of $100 per hour is unreasonable and contrary to certain evidence
in the record which suggests that the fee was only $5 or $10 per subscriber name a few years
ago. For its part, Rogers has offered evidence as to how the $100 per hour fee was established
[20] The case law suggests that consideration should be given to the costs incurred by Rogers
in assembling the information about its Subscriber and complying with a disclosure order (see
BMG at para 35 and also Voltage at paras 46 and 138). In Voltage, for example, it was ordered
that all reasonable legal costs, administrative costs and disbursements incurred by the ISP in
abiding by the disclosure order were to be paid by the plaintiff to the ISP prior to release of the
customer information.
[21] The Applicants argument as to the unreasonableness and the amount of Rogers hourly
fee is not persuasive. The fee is what it is, and if the Applicants want information about the
Subscriber they must pay the hourly fee. The record suggests that no more than about an hour
will be necessary for Rogers to assemble, verify and forward the Subscriber information to the
[22] In addition, Rogers is entitled to its costs on this motion which I fix and award in the
amount of $500 (inclusive of any taxes or disbursements). These costs shall be payable forthwith
and, in any event, within 20 days from the date of this order.
018
Page: 13
III. Conclusion
[23] The Applicants provided the Court with a draft form of order, including a form of letter
to be sent to John Doe, on the day this motion was heard via teleconference. Not all terms of this
[24] Accordingly, the Court directs the parties to agree upon the terms of the letter to be sent
to John Doe within 10 days of the date of this order and to provide the Court with a final,
signature-ready copy of such letter for the Courts approval prior to such letter being sent. In the
event the parties are unable to so agree, the Court will review and finalize such letter based upon
ORDER
a. 2016-03-24, 05:25:15
b. 2016-01-14, 08:14:55
c. 2016-02-18, 03:45:27
d. 2016-03-10, 02:23:04
e. 2016-01-26, 01:06:07
2. The Applicants shall pay to Rogers Communications Inc. an hourly fee of $100, plus
HST, for the time spent and incurred by Rogers Communications Inc. in assembling and
providing the Subscriber information to the Applicants, such fee to be paid in full prior to
3. The Applicants shall include a copy of this Order in any correspondence sent with the
4. The Subscriber may request a full copy of the reasons for this Order from the Applicants
and the Applicants shall provide a copy at no charge to the Subscriber requesting the
copy.
020
Page: 15
5. Correspondence sent by the Applicants to the Subscriber with the Notice of Application
a. the Applicants currently are seeking to make the Subscriber serve as the
application under Part 5-1 Class Proceedings of the Federal Court Rules,
SOR/98-106;
b. no Court has yet made a determination of fact or law that such Subscriber may be
c. no Court has yet made a determination of fact or law certifying the Applicants
d. no Court has yet made a determination of fact or law that such Subscriber is the
party responsible for the allegedly infringing activity identified by the Applicants;
and
e. no Court has yet made a determination of fact or law that such Subscriber has
6. The Court directs the parties to agree upon the terms of the correspondence to be sent to
John Doe within 10 days of the date of this order and to provide the Court with a final,
signature-ready copy of such correspondence for the Courts approval prior to it being
sent.
7. The information released by Rogers Communications Inc. shall only be used by the
8. Without further order of the Court, the information obtained from Rogers
Communications Inc. shall remain confidential and shall not be disclosed to any other
otherwise, until such time as the Subscribers identity becomes part of the public record
9. Any further amendments or additions to this Order shall be within the discretion of the
10. The Applicants shall pay to Rogers Communications Inc. its costs on this motion in the
lump sum amount of $500 (inclusive of any taxes or disbursements). Such costs shall be
payable forthwith and, in any event, within 20 days from the date of this Order.
"Keith M. Boswell"
Judge
022
FEDERAL COURT
SOLICITORS OF RECORD
DOCKET: T-662-16
SOLICITORS OF RECORD:
Date : 20160728
Dossier : T-662-16
[TRADUCTION FRANAISE]
ENTRE :
demanderesses
et
dfendeur
et
dfenderesse non-partie
(requte en divulgation des demanderesses seulement)
025
Page : 2
et
intervenante
[1] Les demanderesses ont dpos une dclaration en vue dun ventuel recours collectif,
demandant entre autres un jugement dclaratoire et une injonction contre le dfendeur, dont
lidentit leur est actuellement inconnue. Il est allgu que le dfendeur (et dautres comme lui)
a communiqu illgalement des dossiers sur Internet et a ainsi enfreint les droits dauteur que
[2] Les demanderesses souhaitent faire autoriser cette action comme soi-disant recours
collectif invers et, cette fin, elles ont prsent une requte en ordonnance obligeant
Rogers Communications Inc. (Rogers) divulguer toutes les coordonnes et tous les
renseignements personnels dun client de Rogers (labonn) associ une certaine adresse de
protocole Internet divers moments et diverses dates, tel quil est nonc lAnnexe A de
leur requte. Elles demandent une telle ordonnance conformment aux articles 41.25 et
41.26 de la Loi sur le droit dauteur, L.R.C. (1985), ch. C-42. Les demanderesses veulent
galement obtenir, dans le cadre dune ordonnance obligeant Rogers divulguer lidentit de
labonn, une autre ordonnance stipulant quelles nont aucun droit payer Rogers pour
[3] Rogers ne prend aucune position quant la question de savoir si les demanderesses ont
respect les exigences applicables pour obtenir une ordonnance de divulgation. Elle soppose
toutefois la requte des demanderesses de lui refuser une indemnit et des dpens raisonnables
[4] Pour sa part, lintervenante indique que la Cour doit examiner attentivement la preuve
afin de dterminer sil y a lieu dordonner une divulgation. Son rle dans la requte en
divulgation des demanderesses se limitait fournir des observations la Cour quant au type et
la quantit de donnes didentification fournir par Rogers, aux limites pouvant tre imposes
relativement lutilisation de ces donnes et la forme davis quil pourrait tre ncessaire de
[5] Pour les motifs qui suivent, je conclus que Rogers doit divulguer aux demanderesses
uniquement le nom et ladresse de labonn, tels quils figurent dans ses dossiers. Rogers ne
devrait pas tre tenue de divulguer dautres renseignements personnels de labonn quelle est
susceptible de dtenir dans ses dossiers, comme son adresse lectronique ou son numro de
tlphone. Je conclus galement que Rogers a le droit une indemnit pour une telle
divulgation aux demanderesses et devrait se voir accorder des dpens lgard de cette requte,
I. Questions en litige
aux demanderesses?
3. Rogers a-t-elle le droit une indemnit pour faire une telle divulgation aux
II. Analyse
[7] Les demanderesses veulent obtenir une ordonnance de divulgation conformment aux
articles 41.25 et 41.26 de la Loi sur le droit dauteur. Ces articles stipulent ce qui suit :
41.25 (1) Le titulaire dun droit dauteur sur une uvre ou tout
autre objet du droit dauteur peut envoyer un avis de prtendue
violation la personne qui fournit, selon le cas :
Forme de lavis
Obligations
Droits
Dommages-intrts
Rglement
[8] Les demanderesses soutiennent que ces deux dispositions de la Loi sur le droit dauteur,
divulgation en lespce et, en outre, doivent tre interprtes de manire refuser Rogers toute
indemnit pour lexcution dune telle ordonnance, car, comme les parties le reconnaissent,
observations des demanderesses cet gard nont aucun bien-fond. Leur requte en divulgation
conformment aux articles 41.25 et 41.26 est errone. Nulle part dans ces dispositions est-il
indiqu explicitement quune demande ou une requte visant obtenir une ordonnance
030
Page : 7
lalina 41.26(1)b) peut ou doit tre prsente. En outre, nulle part dans ces dispositions est-il
stipul explicitement quil est interdit ou impossible de verser un montant ou une indemnit
envoye aux fournisseurs de services Internet (FSI) comme Rogers en 2013, avant lentre en
vigueur de ces dispositions en janvier 2015, mentionnait que lidentit dun abonn
[TRADUCTION] pouvait tre divulgue au titulaire du droit dauteur par lentremise dune
ordonnance . Cependant, nulle part dans ces dispositions lgislatives est-il fait mention de la
divulgation de lidentit dun abonn par un FSI, que ce soit par ordonnance judiciaire ou
autrement. cet gard, il est juste de noter que la dcision rendue par la Cour suprme du
Canada dans larrt Parry Sound (District), Conseil dadministration des services sociaux c.
S.E.E.F.P.O., section locale 324, 2003 CSC 42, [2003] 2 RCS 157, o le juge Iacobucci a
[10] Par ailleurs, les commentaires suivants du juge Stone de la Cour dappel fdrale dans
Glaxo Wellcome PLC c. M.R.N., [1998] 4 RCF 439, [1998] A.C.F. no 874 [Glaxo Wellcome],
servent galement contrecarrer linterprtation trop large que font les demanderesses des
[11] Le rgime davis et avis ne fournit aucun mcanisme dtaill ou complet permettant
aux titulaires dun droit dauteur comme les demanderesses dexercer leurs droits contre les
prsums contrevenants. Au mieux, il fournit un mcanisme permettant aux titulaires dun droit
dauteur denvoyer un avis de prtendue violation par lintermdiaire dun FSI un prsum
contrevenant, sachant que des dossiers seront disponibles une date ultrieure pour trouver
lidentit de ce contrevenant au besoin. Un FSI comme Rogers est seulement tenu de faire deux
choses conformment au paragraphe 41.26 : (1) transmettre par voie lectronique une copie de
pertinente; (2) conserver un registre permettant didentifier labonn pendant des priodes
prcises selon que le titulaire du droit dauteur a intent ou non une procdure relativement la
prtendue violation. Le fait quaucun rglement nait t pris pour fixer le montant maximal
quun FSI peut facturer pour raliser ces obligations ne dit pas si aucun droit ni aucune
indemnit ne peuvent tre pays pour lexcution dune ordonnance de divulgation, mais dcrit
032
Page : 9
plutt la politique actuelle, dans le cadre du rgime davis et avis , selon laquelle les cots
dcoulant de ces obligations doivent, du moins pour linstant, tre assums par le FSI.
droit et les principes tablis concernant les soi-disant ordonnances de divulgation de type
Norwich dcoulant de la dcision Norwich Pharmacal Co. v. Customs & Excise Commissioners
(1973), [1974] A.C. 133 (Chambre des Lords du R.-U.), ni de sen carter. La disponibilit de
ces ordonnances la Cour fdrale a t reconnue pour la premire fois par la Cour dappel
fdrale dans Glaxo Wellcome, et dans laffaire BMG Canada Inc c. Doe, 2005 CAF 193,
[42] Par consquent, selon moi, dans les cas o les demandeurs
dmontrent la lgitimit de leur prtention selon laquelle des
personnes inconnues violent leur droit dauteur, ils ont le droit
dexiger que lidentit de ces personnes leur soit rvle afin dtre
en mesure dintenter une action. Toutefois, les cours de justice
doivent faire preuve de prudence lorsquelles ordonnent une telle
divulgation pour sassurer que lon empite le moins possible sur
le droit la vie prive.
033
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[13] Les principes manant de BMG devant tre pris en considration lorsque lon rend une
1. La prtention de la partie qui demande une ordonnance de type Norwich doit tre
2. La partie contre laquelle une telle ordonnance sera rendue doit possder des
3. Une ordonnance de la Cour est le seul moyen raisonnable permettant dobtenir les
renseignements;
4. Lquit exige que les renseignements soient fournis avant linterrogatoire pralable
autres parties.
[14] Je suis convaincu que les demanderesses ont prsent une preuve suffisante, notamment
dans laffidavit de Daniel Macek, pour dmontrer la lgitimit de leur prtention selon laquelle
des personnes inconnues violent leur droit dauteur lgard des films. En consquence, elles
ont le droit dobtenir lidentit de labonn afin de poursuivre leur recours collectif envisag. Ce
droit dcoule de la jurisprudence tablie, notamment celle prcite; il ne dcoule pas des
034
Page : 11
dispositions du rgime davis et avis de la Loi sur le droit dauteur et nest fond daucune
[15] Je suis galement convaincu que les autres principes manant de larrt BMG exigent
labonn.
[16] Pour examiner cette question, je prcise (comme la fait la Cour dappel dans BMG) quil
faut faire preuve de prudence lorsque lon ordonne la divulgation de renseignements sur un
abonn pour sassurer que lon empite le moins possible sur le droit la vie prive . Je note
galement lapproche utilise par la Cour pour divulguer les renseignements dans laffaire
Voltage Pictures LLC c. John Doe, 2014 CF 161 [Voltage], o la divulgation de ladresse
lectronique du client du FSI na pas t ordonne, ainsi que largument de lintervenante selon
lequel Rogers ne devrait divulguer aux demanderesses que le nom et ladresse de labonn qui
sont associs ladresse de protocole Internet allgu tre lie la violation prtendue par les
demanderesses.
[17] mon avis, les demanderesses ont le droit dobtenir auprs de Rogers uniquement le
nom et ladresse de labonn, tels quils figurent dans les dossiers de Rogers. La divulgation de
ces renseignements par Rogers doit demeurer confidentielle et les renseignements ne doivent
pas tre divulgus dautres parties sans une autre ordonnance de la Cour. Ils ne peuvent tre
utiliss que par les demanderesses dans le cadre de leur recours collectif envisag. Par ailleurs,
035
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les demanderesses nont pas le droit de divulguer ces renseignements au grand public en faisant
ou en publiant une dclaration aux mdias concernant les renseignements obtenus auprs de
Rogers.
[18] Selon le dossier, Rogers tait prt divulguer les renseignements sur labonn si les
100 $ de lheure, plus TVH, pour assumer les cots associs la compilation de ces
renseignements. Les demanderesses ont refus de le faire, car, selon elles, les dispositions du
rgime davis et avis de la Loi sur le droit dauteur empchaient Rogers dimposer ou de
percevoir de tels droits. Pour les motifs noncs prcdemment, cet avis est erron.
[19] En tous les cas, les demanderesses prtendent que mme si Rogers tait autoris exiger
des droits pour la divulgation des renseignements sur labonn, ces droits devraient tre, au
mieux, minimes et ne devraient pas dpasser 50 cents par abonn, car Roger avait dj recueilli
sur le droit dauteur. En outre, les demanderesses soutiennent que les droits de 100 $ lheure
sont draisonnables et vont lencontre de certains lments de preuve au dossier qui laissent
entendre que les droits ntaient que de 5 $ ou 10 $ par abonn il y a quelques annes. Pour sa
part, Rogers a prsent une preuve sur la faon dont les droits de 100 $ lheure ont t fixs et
[20] La jurisprudence donne penser quil faudrait que lon tienne compte des dbours
encourus par Rogers pour runir les renseignements sur son abonn et pour se conformer une
Dans Voltage, par exemple, il a t ordonn que tous les frais juridiques et administratifs et les
soient pays par la demanderesse avant la divulgation des renseignements sur le client.
tarif horaire de Rogers nest pas persuasif. Les droits sont ce quils sont, et si les demanderesses
veulent de linformation sur labonn, elles doivent payer le tarif horaire. Le dossier donne
penser que Roger aura besoin dau plus une heure pour assembler, vrifier et transmettre les
renseignements sur labonn aux demanderesses; le cot total serait donc dapproximativement
113 $.
[22] De plus, Rogers a le droit des dpens lgard de cette requte, que joctroie et je fixe
500 $ (taxes et dbours compris). Ces dpens seront payables sans dlai et, dans tous les cas,
III. Conclusion
[23] Les demanderesses ont remis la Cour un projet dordonnance ainsi quune proposition
de lettre envoyer John Doe le jour o cette requte a t instruite par tlconfrence. Les
parties nont pas accept toutes les conditions de cette proposition au moment de laudience, et
[24] Par consquent, la Cour ordonne aux parties de sentendre sur les conditions nonces
dans la lettre envoyer John Doe dans les 10 jours suivant la date de la prsente ordonnance
et de fournir la Cour une copie finale prte signer afin quelle lapprouve avant lenvoi. Si
les parties sont incapables de sentendre, la Cour examinera et achvera la lettre en se fondant
ORDONNANCE
a. 2016-03-24, 05:25:15
b. 2016-01-14, 08:14:55
c. 2016-02-18, 03:45:27
d. 2016-03-10, 02:23:04
e. 2016-01-26, 01:06:07
100 $, plus TVH, pour le temps pass par Rogers Communications Inc. assembler et
transmettre les renseignements sur labonn aux demanderesses, ces droits devant tre
3. Les demanderesses doivent inclure une copie de la prsente ordonnance dans toute
4. Labonn peut demander une copie complte des motifs de cette ordonnance aux
demanderesses, auquel cas celles-ci doivent lui fournir une copie, sans frais.
5. La correspondance envoye par les demanderesses labonn avec lavis de requte doit
demande en vertu de la partie 5.1 Recours collectif des Rgles des Cours
fdrales, DORS/98-106;
d. aucune Cour na encore tir de conclusion de fait ou de droit voulant que labonn
demanderesses;
e. aucune Cour na encore tir de conclusion de fait ou de droit voulant que labonn
ait commis une violation ou soit responsable de quelque faon que ce soit de
6. La Cour ordonne aux parties de sentendre sur les conditions nonces dans la lettre
envoyer John Doe dans les 10 jours suivant la date de la prsente ordonnance et de
fournir la Cour une copie finale prte signer de la correspondance afin quelle
7. Les renseignements divulgus par Rogers Communications Inc. ne doivent tre utiliss
que par les demanderesses en lien avec les demandes faites dans la prsente instance.
040
Page : 17
dautres parties ni au grand public dans le cadre dune dclaration aux mdias ou
10. Les demanderesses doivent payer Rogers Communications Inc. des dpens lgard de
cette requte, dun montant forfaitaire de 500 $ (taxes et dbours compris). Ces dpens
seront payables sans dlai et, dans tous les cas, dans les 20 jours suivant la date de la
prsente ordonnance.
Keith M. Boswell
Juge
041
COUR FDRALE
DOSSIER : T-662-16
OBSERVATIONS CRITES :
Date: 20170509
Docket: A-278-16
BETWEEN:
and
JUDGMENT
The appeal is allowed with costs here and below payable by the respondent, Rogers
Communications Inc. Paragraphs 2 and 10 of the Federal Courts order dated July 28, 2016 in
"David Stratas"
J.A.
044
Date: 20170509
Docket: A-278-16
BETWEEN:
Appellants
and
Respondents
Date: 20170509
Docket: A-278-16
BETWEEN:
Appellants
and
Respondents
STRATAS J.A.
[1] Under the cloak of anonymity on the internet, some can illegally copy, download, and
distribute the intellectual property of others, such as movies, songs and writings. Unless the
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cloak is lifted and identities are revealed, the illegal conduct can continue, unchecked and
unpunished.
[2] The appellants say this has been happening to them. They are movie producers. They
have launched proceedingsa proposed reverse class actionagainst those they say have been
downloading their movies illegally. But the appellants face an obstacle: without knowing the
identities of the persons they believe have been infringing their copyrightspersons I shall call
[3] Parliament has intervened to assist those in the position of the appellants. Under a
relatively new legislative regime, Parliament has allowed copyright owners, like the appellants,
to seek information from internet service providers to lift the cloak of anonymity and reveal the
identity of the suspected infringers so the copyright owners can act to protect their rights:
Copyright Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-42, sections 41.25 to 41.27 (added by the Copyright
Modernization Act, S.C. 2012, c. 20, s. 47). The legislative regime regulates a number of matters,
including the fee that an internet service provider may charge for the work it does.
[4] Using the legislative regime, the appellants sought information identifying a suspected
infringer, the respondent, John Doe #1, from an internet service provider, Rogers
[5] The appellants moved for an order in the Federal Court requiring the identifying
information to be disclosed to them. Rogers was prepared to disclose it, but only if the appellants
047
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paid a fee. The appellants contested the fee, alleging that the legislative regime precluded Rogers
from charging anything and that in any event it was far too high and, thus, unreasonable.
[6] The Federal Court (per Boswell J.) interpreted the legislative regime and, in the end,
agreed with Rogers: 2016 FC 881. It ordered that the identifying information concerning John
Doe #1 be disclosed to the appellants but only after they paid Rogers fee.
[7] The appellants appeal to this Court. At first glance, the fee Rogers proposes$100 per
hour of work plus HSTmight strike some as not much of an obstacle for movie producers to
pay. But the appellants say there are tens of thousands of suspected infringers whose identifying
information can now only be had at the same fee. They see Rogers fee and the Federal Courts
approval of it as a multi-million dollar barrier between them and the starting gate for their legal
proceedingsproceedings they consider necessary to protect and vindicate their rights in the
[8] The appellants submit that Rogers fee cannot stand. In their view, the Federal Court
[9] For the following reasons, I agree with the appellants. The appeal must be allowed with
costs.
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[10] The outcome of this appeal turns on how we interpret this legislative regime. It must be
interpreted in accordance with the text of the legislative provisions, their context, the purposes of
the legislative regime and, more broadly, the purposes of the Copyright Act: see Bell ExpressVu
Limited Partnership v. Rex, 2002 SCC 42, [2002] 2 S.C.R. 559; Rizzo & Rizzo Shoes Ltd. (Re),
[1998] 1 S.C.R. 27, 154 D.L.R. (4th) 193; Canada Trustco Mortgage Co. v. Canada, 2005 SCC
54, [2005] 2 S.C.R. 601. We must also regard this legislative regime as remedial and give it
such fair, large and liberal construction and interpretation as best ensures the attainment of its
[11] As mentioned above, the legislative regime consists of sections 41.25, 41.26 and 41.27 of
the Copyright Act. Section 41.27 provides for injunctive relief against a provider of an
information location tool that is found to have infringed copyright. As this part of the legislative
regime is not in issue in this appeal and as it sheds light on neither the issues before us nor the
B. Legislative text
[12] Sections 41.25 and 41.26 of the Copyright Act provide as follows:
41.25. (1) An owner of the copyright 41.25. (1) Le titulaire dun droit
in a work or other subject-matter may dauteur sur une oeuvre ou tout autre
send a notice of claimed infringement objet du droit dauteur peut envoyer
to a person who provides un avis de prtendue violation la
personne qui fournit, selon le cas :
049
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(a) state the claimants name and a) prcise les nom et adresse du
address and any other particulars demandeur et contient tout autre
prescribed by regulation that renseignement prvu par rglement
enable communication with the qui permet la communication avec
claimant; lui;
(d) specify the location data for the d) prcise les donnes de
electronic location to which the localisation de lemplacement
claimed infringement relates; lectronique qui fait lobjet de la
prtendue violation;
050
Page: 6
(f) specify the date and time of the f) prcise la date et lheure de la
commission of the claimed commission de la prtendue
infringement; and violation;
(b) retain records that will allow b) conserver, pour une priode de
the identity of the person to whom six mois compter de la date de
the electronic location belongs to rception de lavis de prtendue
be determined, and do so for six violation, un registre permettant
months beginning on the day on didentifier la personne qui
which the notice of claimed appartient lemplacement
infringement is received or, if the lectronique et, dans le cas o,
claimant commences proceedings avant la fin de cette priode, une
relating to the claimed procdure est engage par le
infringement and so notifies the titulaire du droit dauteur lgard
person before the end of those six de la prtendue violation et quelle
months, for one year after the day en a reu avis, conserver le registre
on which the person receives the pour une priode dun an suivant la
051
Page: 7
(2) The Minister may, by regulation, (2) Le ministre peut, par rglement,
fix the maximum fee that a person fixer le montant maximal des droits
may charge for performing his or her qui peuvent tre exigs pour les actes
obligations under subsection (1). If no prvus au paragraphe (1). dfaut de
maximum is fixed by regulation, the rglement cet effet, le montant de
person may not charge any amount ces droits est nul.
under that subsection.
(3) A claimants only remedy against (3) Le seul recours dont dispose le
a person who fails to perform his or demandeur contre la personne qui
her obligations under subsection (1) is nexcute pas les obligations que lui
statutory damages in an amount that impose le paragraphe (1) est le
the court considers just, but not less recouvrement des dommages-intrts
than $5,000 and not more than prtablis dont le montant est, selon ce
$10,000. que le tribunal estime quitable en
loccurrence, dau moins 5000 $ et
dau plus 10000 $.
(4) The Governor in Council may, by (4) Le gouverneur en conseil peut, par
regulation, increase or decrease the rglement, changer les montants
minimum or maximum amount of minimal et maximal des dommages-
statutory damages set out in intrts prtablis viss au paragraphe
subsection (3). (3).
C. The state of the law before the legislative regime was enacted
[13] The earlier state of the law sheds much light on the purposes of the legislative regime.
The legislative scheme was aimed at reducing the complexity and cumbersomeness under the
earlier law so that copyright owners could better protect and vindicate their rights.
[14] We start with the problem mentioned at the start of these reasons. Copyright owners need
information concerning the identities of suspected copyright infringers and internet service
052
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providers hold that information. But internet service providers are understandably reluctant to
[15] The same sort of problem happens in other contexts. Sometimes persons are wronged and
intend to bring legal proceedings for the wrong but cannot: they do not know the identity of their
wrongdoers. However, a third party does know or has the means of knowing.
[16] Over four decades ago, courts found a solution to this problem: the equitable bill of
discovery. A party can use this mechanism to obtain a pre-litigation order against a third party
compelling disclosure of identifying information and documents. Today, such an order is often
called a Norwich order, named after the House of Lords decision that fashioned it: Norwich
Pharmacal Co. v. Customs & Excise Commissioners, [1973] UKHL 6, [1974] A.C. 133.
[17] In the Federal Courts system, Norwich orders can be obtained under Rule 233 of the
Federal Courts Rules, SOR/98-106: BMG Canada Inc. v. Doe, 2005 FCA 193, [2005] 4 F.C.R.
81.
[18] Norwich orders are by no means sure things to get. One must show a valid, bona fide or
reasonable claim, the involvement of a third party in the impugned acts, necessity in the sense
that the third party is the only practical source of the information, and desirability in the sense
that the interests of justice favour the obtaining of disclosure from the third party.
053
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[19] And that is not all. The court must balance the benefit to the applicant against the
prejudice to the alleged wrongdoer in releasing the information. Factoring into the equation is the
nature of the information sought, the degree of confidentiality associated with the information by
the party against whom the order is sought, and the degree to which the requested order curtails
the use to which the information can be put. Finally, the person from whom discovery is sought
can be reasonably compensated for the expenses arising out of compliance with the discovery
order. See generally BMG Canada Inc., above; Straka v. Humber River Regional Hospital
(2000), 51 O.R. (3d) 1; 193 D.L.R. (4th) 680 (C.A.); 1654776 Ontario Limited v. Stewart, 2013
[20] In seeking a Norwich order, complications can arise. What sort of information and
documents is the moving party entitled to receive? Does notice have to be sent to the suspected
wrongdoers? If so, what is the content of the notice? What sort of compensation is the holder of
information and documents entitled to receive? How long must that party retain the information
[21] The legislative regime is designed to reduce the complications and answer many of the
questions that can arise when a Norwich order is sought. In this way, it makes the process more
administrative in nature, more predictable, simpler and faster, to the benefit of all involvedbut
most of all to copyright owners who need to protect and vindicate their rights.
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[22] As we shall see, the legislative regime protects and vindicates the rights of copyright
owners in other ways, such as by putting suspected infringers on notice so that they may cease
[23] The protection and vindication of the rights of copyright owners is no small thing. That is
a central feature of the Copyright Act. It is also a central feature of the Copyright Modernization
Act, the statute that added the legislative regime to the Copyright Act. These statutes dont just
identify the purpose of protecting and vindicating the rights of copyright owners; they also tell us
[24] The preamble to the Copyright Modernization Act tells us, among other things, that it is
to update the rights and protections of copyright owners and to enhanc[e] the protection of
competition and investment in the Canadian economy. Economic growth creates wealth and
scope. Further, the challenges and opportunities of the Internet need to be addressed. The
preamble to the Copyright Modernization Act also reminds us that the Copyright Act is an
important marketplace framework law and cultural policy instrument that, through clear,
predictable and fair rules, supports creativity and innovation and affects many sectors of the
knowledge economy.
055
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[25] The Copyright Act itself aims at a balance between promoting the public interest in the
encouragement and dissemination of works of the arts and intellect and obtaining a just reward
for the creator: Thberge v. Galerie d'Art du Petit Champlain Inc., 2002 SCC 34, 2 S.C.R. 336
at para. 30. Or as the Supreme Court also put it, to prevent someone other than the creator from
appropriating whatever benefits may be generated: ibid.; see also CCH Canadian Ltd. v. Law
Society of Upper Canada, 2004 SCC 13, 1 S.C.R. 339 at para. 23.
[26] The overall aim, then, is to ensure that in the age of the internet, the balance between
legitimate access to works and a just reward for creators is maintained. The internet must not
become a collection of safe houses from which pirates, with impunity, can pilfer the products of
others dedication, creativity and industry. Allow that, and the incentive to create works would
decline or the price for proper users to access works would increase, or both. Parliaments
objectives would crumble. All the laudable aims of the Copyright Actprotecting creators and
makers rights, fostering the fair dissemination of ideas and legitimate access to those ideas,
[27] Thus, to the extent it can, the legislative regime must be interpreted to allow copyright
owners to protect and vindicate their rights as quickly, easily and efficiently as possible while
[28] The holders of records who are subject to this legislative regime are defined with
particularity under subsection 41.25(1). But for simplicity I shall refer to them in these reasons as
[29] The legislative regime imposes certain obligations upon internet service providers that
have identifying information. The legislative regime also regulates the fee that internet service
[30] Heres how the legislative regime works. Under section 41.25 of the Act, the owner of a
copyright in a work or other subject-matter, such as the appellants, sends a notice of infringed
copyright to an internet service provider like Rogers. The notice sets out certain information that
allows the internet service provider to review its records and identify the suspected infringer: see
[31] Subsection 41.26(1) of the Act sets out the obligations of the internet service provider
upon receiving the notice of infringed copyright and upon the payment of any fee that can be
lawfully charged.
[32] The internet service provider has two sets of obligations: one set in paragraph 41.26(1)(a)
and another set in paragraph 41.26(1)(b). Some obligations are express and are evident in the
literal wording of these paragraphs. Other obligations are necessarily incidental to, implied from
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or bound up in the express obligations. These other obligations must also existotherwise, the
purposes underlying the legislative regime will be unfulfilled or, worse, frustrated.
[33] The internet service provider must forward the notice of claimed infringement to the
person to whom the electronic location identified by the location data specified in the notice
belongs, namely the suspected infringer. This furthers the objective of fairness to suspected
infringers online: among other things, they may be able to oppose any later disclosure order
concerning their information and forestall trouble by contacting the copyright owners and
offering any apologies, explanations or settlement proposals. They may also cease their
infringing activities, capping both the damage to the copyright owner and their own potential
liability.
[34] These objectives, the overall purposes of this legislative regime, and the broader purposes
of the Copyright Act can only be met if the internet service provider maintains its records in a
manner and form that allow it to identify suspected infringers quickly and efficiently, it has
searched for and has located the relevant records, and it has done enough work analyzing the
records to satisfy itself that it has identified the suspected infringers accurately.
[35] For the legislative regime to work, accuracy must be assured. Thus, to the extent the
internet service provider must conduct verification activities to ensure accuracy, the verification
[36] Finally, the internet service provider must notify the copyright owner that it has sent
notices to the suspected infringers or must explain why it was not able to send them.
[37] The internet service provider must retain records that will allow the identity of the
person to whom the electronic location belongs to be determined by those who will use the
records. The records are those the internet service provider has located and maintains in a
manner and form usable by it to identify suspected infringers in accordance with its paragraph
41.26(1)(a) obligations. But the records may not be in a manner and form usable by those
seeking to determine the identity of the suspected infringers. Who might those persons be? No
doubt the copyright owner needs to know the identity of the suspected infringers so it can
determine its options. And ultimately a court will need to know the identity of the suspected
[38] Thus, bearing in mind the purposes of the legislative scheme and the broader purposes of
the Copyright Act, Parliament must have intended that the records be in a manner and form that
can be used by the copyright owner to determine its options and, ultimately, by the court to
[39] To the extent that the records are in a manner and form usable by the internet service
provider to identify suspected infringers but are not in a manner and form usable by copyright
owners and courtsin other words, to the extent they must be translated or modified in some
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waythe internet service provider must perform that work as part of its 41.26(1)(b) obligations.
An indecipherable jumble of randomly arranged records that copyright owners and courts cannot
figure out will not, in the words of paragraph 41.26(1)(b), allow [copyright holders and courts
to determine] the identity of the person to whom the electronic location belongs. The records
must also be retained in a manner that can be disclosed promptly. Only the prompt provision of
helpful, usable records to copyright owners and ultimately to the courts fulfils the purposes of the
(3) A summary of the internet service providers obligations under subsection 41.26(1)
[40] Overall, putting the two sets of subsection 41.26(1) obligations together, the internet
service provider must maintain records in a manner and form that allows it to identify suspected
infringers, to locate the relevant records, to identify the suspected infringers, to verify the
identification work it has done (if necessary), to send the notices to the suspected infringers and
the copyright owner, to translate the records (if necessary) into a manner and form that allows
them both to be disclosed promptly and to be used by copyright owners and later the courts to
determine the identity of the suspected infringers, and, finally, to keep the records ready for
prompt disclosure.
[41] These obligations arise only upon the internet service provider being paid a lawfully
charged fee: see the opening words of subsection 41.26(1); see also subsection 41.26(2), which
regulates the amount of the fee. What fee can an internet service provider charge? In this case,
(4) The fee that the internet service provider can charge
[42] Under subsection 41.26(2), the responsible Minister, the Minister of Industry, may, by
regulation, fix the maximum fee that an internet service provider like Rogers can charge for
performing the subsection 41.26(1) obligations. But if no maximum fee is fixed by regulation,
the internet service provider may not charge anything for performing the subsection 41.26(1)
obligations.
[43] At present, no regulation has been passed. Thus, internet service providers such as Rogers
cannot charge a fee for the discharge of their subsection 41.26(1) obligations, as significant as
they are.
[44] In the abstract, some may query the policy wisdom of this. But when the text, context and
purpose of the legislative regime and the broader purposes of the Copyright Act are kept front of
mind and when a little bit of legislative history is taken into account, the query is answered.
[45] Before the enactment of this legislative regime, internet service providers were consulted
on the issue of the fee and a number of other matters: see the explanatory note to the order that
brought sections 41.25 and 41.26 into force (P.C. 2014-675): Canada Gazette, Part II, v. 148, no.
14, pp. 2121-2122. This gave internet service providers an opportunity to weigh in and express
concerns about whether the obligations to be imposed on them were too onerous, impractical or
expensive.
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[46] Looking at the version of the legislative regime that was enacted after the consultations
ended, one may surmise that uncertainty remained on the issue of the fee. Rather than specifying
[47] Another way of putting this is that subsection 41.26(2) has been drafted in a way that
makes no fee for the subsection 41.26(1) obligations the default position. Depending on
everyones experience concerning the operation of the legislative regime, the Minister of
Industry might later make a regulation setting a maximum fee. When in force, that regulation
[48] The default position of no regulation and, thus, no fee for the 41.26(1) obligations is a
legislative choice that, at least for the time being, prioritizes considerations of access to
identifying information to allow copyright owners the ability to protect and vindicate their rights
over the economic interests of internet service providers. This is no surprise given the purposes
the legislative regime serves and the broader purposes of the Copyright Act.
[49] Inherent in this legislative choice is the view that leaving the cost of the subsection
41.26(1) obligations with internet service providers, at least for the time being, is not unfair.
After all, depending on the elasticity of demand, the costs can be passed on to the subscribers of
the products of internet service providers, some of whom are the suspected infringers.
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[50] If subsection 41.26(2) were drafted differently and internet service providers were
allowed to charge without restriction, the purposes behind this legislative regime and the larger
purposes of the Copyright Act would be frustrated. Internet service providers could potentially
charge a fee so large that copyright owners would be dissuaded from obtaining the information
they need to protect and vindicate their rights. Parliaments aims of protecting the rights of
copyright owners, fostering the wide dissemination of ideas and legitimate access to those ideas,
and enhancing the economy, wealth and employment would be thwarted. But the pirates safe
[51] Throughout the hearing before us, Rogers submitted that it ought to receive reasonable
compensation for what it does and that it should not be forced to provide services for free. This
may be so in a political, commercial or moral sense. But, as the foregoing analysis of this
[52] At present, if the absence of a regulation and the attendant prohibition against charging a
fee for the discharge of the subsection 41.26(1) obligations causes economic hardship for internet
service providers like Rogers, one immediate recourse is to limit their costs of compliance with
their obligations. For example, they can apply their advanced technological expertise to their
systems to make their compliance with subsection 41.26(1) more automatic, more efficient and
less expensive.
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[53] Indeed, this was foreseen and was encouraged. Internet service providers were given six
months advance notice of the entry into force of the legislative regime so that they could
implement or modify their systems: see the explanatory note, above, published in the Canada
[54] And now of course, with the benefit of experience under this new legislative regime and
also with the benefit of this Courts interpretation of the legislative regime, the internet service
providers can plead their economic case to the Minister and ask for a regulation that would allow
them to charge a fee for their work in discharging their subsection 41.26(1) obligations.
[55] After the internet service provider has performed its subsection 41.26(1) activities, it is
holding records that are in a manner and form that can be disclosed promptly to copyright
owners and that can be used by copyright owners and courts to determine the identity of
suspected infringers. All that is left is the actual act of disclosure to the copyright owner. The
[56] As mentioned above, the legislative regime was enacted against the backdrop of the
Norwich order process, a process that includes the act of disclosure. But by not regulating the act
of disclosure, the legislative regime does not displace the Norwich order process entirely. The
[57] Thus, it appears that Parliament elected to keep the courts in charge of deciding whether
disclosure should be made and, if so, on what conditions. Again, Parliament seems to have
sought flexibility: to ensure that at the end of the process the courts can deal with any unfairness
[58] Unless an internet service provider is willing to hand over the retained records
voluntarily, the copyright owner must seek an order for disclosure. It is reasonable for an internet
service provider to insist that a disclosure order be sought. The order can protect it against
[59] What criteria govern the granting of that order? It must be recalled that Norwich orders
emanate from the equitable bill of discovery and so all of the discretionary considerations that
can affect equitable relief are live. Further, as BMG Canada Inc. tells us, Norwich orders can be
sought in the Federal Courts system under Rule 233. And under Rule 53(1), the Federal Courts
may impose such conditions and give such directions as [they consider] just.
[60] However, the courts power to impose conditions and make directions is restricted in one
major way. A court is bound by the law on the books, in this case sections 41.25 and 41.26 of the
Copyright Act. As we have seen, in the absence of a regulation, subsection 41.26(2) forbids the
charging of a fee for the internet service providers discharge of their obligations under
subsection 41.26(1). A court cannot authorize the charging of fees that Parliament says cannot be
charged.
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[61] The internet service provider can charge a fee for the actual, reasonable and necessary
costs associated with the act of disclosure. The act of disclosure does not fall within subsection
41.26(1) and, thus, is not subject to the no regulation and, thus, no fee default rule in
subsection 41.26(2).
[62] What do we mean by the act of disclosure? It will be recalled that after the internet
service provider has performed its subsection 41.26(1) activities, it is holding records that are in
a manner and form that allows them to be used by copyright owners and courts to determine the
identity of suspected infringers and in a manner and form that allows prompt disclosure. All that
is left is the delivery or electronic transmission of these records by the internet service provider
to the copyright owner and the internet service providers participation in the obtaining of a
[63] The actual, reasonable and necessary costs of delivery or electronic transmission of the
[64] Similarly, the costs associated with a motion for a disclosure order are likely to be
minimal. A single disclosure order can authorize the release of the identifying information of
many suspected infringers, perhaps even thousands. Except in extraordinary cases, the motion
for a disclosure order would proceed as a Rule 369 motion in writing on consent or unopposed,
with standard material and a standard draft order placed before the Court. That standard draft
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order could include a standard amount, likely nominal, to compensate the internet service
[65] In the case before us, the Federal Court made an order requiring Rogers to disclose the
records it had retained. It was also minded to allow Rogers to charge a fee for its efforts. The
issue before us is whether, in light of the principles discussed above, the Federal Court erred in
[66] In the Federal Court, Rogers was prepared to disclose the records if the appellants
submitted a proposed form of order and paid a fee of $100 per hour plus HST to cover its costs
associated with compiling such information: Federal Courts reasons at para. 18.
[67] As best as can be determined, Rogers completed its work to satisfy its subsection
41.26(1) obligations. But in response to the appellants request for disclosure, Rogers re-did
some of its work, reviewing the information in its computer system to identify the suspected
infringer. To do this, it used a completely different system, one used for law enforcement
requests. Rogers says that it needed to do this additional work in order to verify its earlier work
and ensure accuracy. Rogers $100 per hour fee is based mainly on the cost of this additional
work.
067
Page: 23
[68] The Federal Court approved the fee. According to the Federal Court, the fee is what it
is and if the appellants want the information they must pay the hourly fee: Federal Courts
reasons at para. 21. The fee is to compensate Rogers for the work necessary to assemble, verify
and forward the Subscriber information to the [appellants]: Federal Courts reasons at para. 21.
[69] The Federal Courts reasoning appears to have been that the legislative regime does not
provide for disclosure of the information and it does not say that a fee cannot be charged for
complying with a disclosure order made in respect of that information (at para. 8).
Accordingly, in its view, the usual requirement of a Norwich orderthat the copyright owner
reimburse the internet service provider for its reasonable costsremains unaffected by the
legislation. As a result, the Federal Court concluded that it could allow a fee to be paid to Rogers
[70] In my view, this holding was vitiated by legal error. Under the legislative regime,
described and analyzed above, an internet service provider cannot charge a fee for the costs of
discharging its subsection 41.26(1) obligations, enumerated and described in paragraph 40,
above. Allowing an internet service provider at the point of disclosure to charge a fee for these
costs would be an end run around the legislative decision that these activities should not be
[71] The additional work Rogers did was identification and verification work. Rogers should
have completed this work as part of its subsection 41.26(1) obligationsmatters for which it
cannot charge a fee at this time. If an internet service provider like Rogers has discharged its
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subsection 41.26(1) obligations properly, there should be no need to re-do the work. As
mentioned above, the legislative regime contemplates that an internet service provider will
discharge its subsection 41.26(1) obligations fully and accurately so that notices are sent only to
the correct people and so the correct records can be used by copyright owners and courts if
[72] The appellants submit that the Federal Court also erred in saying that the fee is what it
is. They submit that the Federal Court must always ensure that a fee is reasonable in the
circumstances. I agree that the Federal Court did not assess the reasonableness of the fee and
should have. While the Federal Court noted (at paragraph 19) that Rogers has offered evidence
as to how the $100 per hour fee was established and why it is reasonable, the Federal Court
[73] For these reasons, paragraph 2 of the Federal Courts order, which requires the appellants
to pay Rogers a fee of $100 per hour plus HST for its services, must be set aside.
[74] It is open to us to examine the evidence and to make the order the Federal Court should
have made: Federal Courts Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. F-7, para. 52(b)(i).
[75] As mentioned above, on a motion for a disclosure order, the Court may attach a condition
to the order, allowing for compensation to be paid to the internet service provider provided this is
069
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consistent with the legislation. It is for the internet service provider to adduce the evidence
necessary to prove its actual, reasonable and necessary costs that can and should be
compensatedin this case the costs associated with the act of disclosure. Rogers failed to
[76] The only evidence in the record suggests that Rogers cost of disclosure in 2012 was, at
most, $0.50 per IP address: cross-examination of Ms. Jackson, QQ. 261-295; appeal book at pp.
118-121. But this evidence is not precise enough to be relied upon. The words at most mean
that the cost in 2012 could have been less than $0.50 per IP address, perhaps significantly less.
As well, evidence from 2012 does not tell us much about the present cost of disclosure: as we
have seen, the entry into force of the legislative regime was delayed in order for internet service
providers to improve their systems. This may have happened and so the cost now may be less.
[77] Rogers has incurred legal costs in relation to the disclosure order both in the Federal
Court and this Court. However, in the circumstances of this case, costs must follow the event,
and it will be Rogers that pays the appellants costs, not vice versa. In any event, granting a
part guided by equitable considerations. In light of the position taken by Rogers in this litigation,
I would exercise my discretion against any compensation for its legal costs.
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[78] None of the foregoing prevents Rogers in future cases from charging a fee, likely
nominal, compensating it for the actual, reasonable and necessary costs associated with the act of
[79] Again, if Rogers and other internet service providers consider this level of compensation
for their work to be unfair, they can ask the Minister to pass a regulation setting a maximum fee.
As explained, this would permit them to charge a fee not just for the act of delivery, but also for
J. Proposed disposition
[80] For the foregoing reasons, I would allow the appeal. I would set aside paragraph 2 of the
Federal Courts order dated July 28, 2016 in file T-662-16. I would set aside the award of costs
in paragraph 10 of that order and award the appellants their costs here and below payable by the
David Stratas
J.A.
I agree
Mary J.L. Gleason J.A.
I agree
Judith Woods J.A.
071
DOCKET: A-278-16
APPEARANCES:
SOLICITORS OF RECORD:
B E T W E E N:
Respondents
(Appellants)
i
073
1. This case is about who should bear the costs of enforcing copyright on the internet. This
Court has expressly confirmed that the burden of copyright disputes between creators and users
should not be visited on the heads of the Internet intermediaries. But this is precisely the effect
of the decision below.
2. At issue in this application are the obligations imposed on internet service providers (or
ISPs) by 2012 amendments to the Copyright Act, which enacted a notice and notice system to
facilitate enforcing copyright online. Notice and notice is a made-in-Canada solution, intended to
balance the rights of copyright owners with the rights of internet users. This case provides this
Court with the opportunity to consider questions of national and public importance relating to the
notice and notice system. Its outcome will affect every Canadian with an internet subscription.
3. Notice and notice is a voluntary system created by Canadian ISPs to avoid some of the
abuses associated with the notice and take-down system in the U.S. Digital Millennium
Copyright Act (DMCA). Notice and take-down under the DMCA requires ISPs who receive a
notice that material infringes copyright to remove it from the internet. This system of mandatory
take-down tilted the playing field heavily towards copyright owners and away from users. Notice
and notice was designed to avoid this problem. It requires ISPs to forward a notice of
infringement to the alleged infringer. The question of take-down and the associated
enforcement costs are left to the owner, the user and the courts. ISPs are intentionally left out
of it. This was thought to provide greater balance between copyright owners and internet users.
4. Although notice and notice was initially voluntary, in 2012 Parliament formalized it into
sections 41.25 and 41.26 of the Copyright Act (the Notice and Notice Provisions), as part of a
broader package of reforms called the Copyright Modernization Act. The Notice and Notice
Provisions came into force in January 2015. All Canadian ISPs, which together service more
than 12 million residential subscribers, are now required to comply with the Acts notice and
notice requirements.
1
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5. At the heart of the notice and notice system is a balance between the rights of copyright
owners, ISPs and internet users. Copyright owners can monitor the internet and send notices to
ISPs when they become aware of potential infringement. ISPs process the millions of notices
they receive each year and pass them along to their customers. Internet users receive the notices
and can decide whether to remove the impugned content, or to keep it online and risk a lawsuit.
6. Prior to enactment of the Notice and Notice Provisions, all of this was done on a
voluntary basis without charge by most ISPs, who invested in the technology and personnel to
enable the forwarding of notices to their subscribers to be wholly automated. However, if a
copyright owner wanted to go beyond notification and obtain an order requiring the ISP to
identify its subscriber, the ISP would need to use a multi-step manual process in order to protect
its customers privacy. Under long-standing principles articulated by Canadian courts governing
Norwich orders for third party discovery, the copyright owner was obliged to reimburse the ISP
for its reasonable costs.
7. The carefully crafted notice and notice system was balanced and consistent with this
Courts view that internet intermediaries should not be drawn into copyright disputes between
creators and users. However, the decision of the Court of Appeal imposing numerous
obligations on ISPs while excusing copyright owners from reimbursing them for their reasonable
costs is inconsistent with these principles, and dramatically upsets the careful balance between
different stakeholders.
8. At first instance, the Federal Court found that the Notice and Notice Provisions did not
modify the common law Norwich rules, and that innocent third party ISPs retained the right to
recover the costs they incurred in responding to third-party discovery requests. However, the
Court of Appeal reversed and held that the Notice and Notice Provisions imposed seven discrete
and mostly unwritten obligations on ISPs. It effectively treated most elements of the Norwich
order process as having been subsumed within the notice and notice regime, despite clear
evidence that Parliament intended the Norwich order regime to be unaffected by the 2012
amendments to the Copyright Act. Because of these newfound obligations, the Court of Appeal
concluded that ISPs could not recover the vast majority of their costs in responding to Norwich
requests. In a dramatic deviation from the principles articulated by this Court, the Court of
2
075
Appeal concluded that, instead of requiring the copyright owner to pay these costs, they should
be visited on the heads of ISPs and passed along to their subscribers i.e., every Canadian with
an internet connection.
10. The interpretation of the Notice and Notice Provisions will govern the industry for years
into the future. Copyright holders are already relying on portions of the Court of Appeals
decision to demand that Rogers and other ISPs respond to their disclosure requests on an
accelerated basis, in priority to even disclosure requests from law enforcement. This case affords
the Court an opportunity to provide critical guidance on what is and what is not required of
Canadian ISPs under these new sections of the Copyright Act. Rogers asks this Court to grant
leave and ensure that the principle of balance between ISPs, copyright holders and users is front
and centre in interpreting the Notice and Notice Provisions.
11. Rogers acts as an Internet Service Provider, or ISP. This means that it provides
subscribers with access to the internet.
12. Any device that is connected to the internet is assigned a unique identifier, called an
internet protocol (or IP) address, by its ISP. The IP address enables data to be properly routed to
the device making the request. IP addresses can be permanently assigned to a specific device (a
static IP address), or assigned to a device for a period of time before being reassigned to a
different device (a dynamic IP address). The overwhelming majority of Rogers customers
have dynamic IP addresses.1
1
Affidavit of Kristi Jackson, sworn June 10, 2016, (Jackson Affidavit) paras. 5-7, Leave
Application (LA), Tab 8
3
076
13. Under the U.S. DMCA, 2 ISPs are protected from copyright liability for content made
available by their subscribers. However, they lose that protection if they fail to comply with the
DMCAs notice and take-down requirements. These requirements require an ISP to take down
content if it receives a notice that the hosted content infringes copyright.3
14. While the notice and take-down system is convenient for copyright holders, it has been
harshly criticized for ignoring users rights. 4 It gives relief tantamount to an interlocutory
injunction but without the safeguards associated with that remedy, such as the need to establish
irreparable harm, or give an undertaking as to damages. American commentators have also
pointed out that it acts as a prior restraint on speech and also takes little account of fair use.5
15. Notice and notice was fashioned as an alternative to notice and take-down. The intention
was to create a made-in-Canada solution that addresses the legitimate concerns of copyright
owners, but balances them with the rights and interests of users.
16. Notice and notice began as a voluntary system created by Canadian ISPs. Instead of
automatically removing any content, Canadian ISPs agreed that if they received a notice
indicating that copyright infringement was occurring at a particular IP address at a particular
time, they would forward the notice to the subscriber associated with that address. The ISPs did
not provide any of the subscribers identifying information to the copyright owner. If the owner
wanted to obtain that information, legitimate privacy concerns required the owner to obtain a
Norwich order for third party discovery directed to the ISP.6
2
112 Stat. 2860 (1998) (U.S.A.)
3
Jennifer M. Urban, Joe Karaganis & Brianna L. Schofield, Notice and Takedown in Everyday
Practice (March 22, 2017). UC Berkeley Public Law Research Paper No. 2755628, p. 15
4
See, e.g., Comments of the Electronic Frontier Foundation before the U.S. Copyright Office, In
the Matter of Section 512 Study, April 1, 2016, pp. 9-12
5
Wendy Seltzer, Free Speech Unmoored in Copyrights Safe Harbor: Chilling Effects of the
DMCA on the First Amendment (2010) 24 Harv. J. Law & Tech. 171
6
Email from Ken Clark to Rogers, April 28, 2016, LA, Tab 7
4
077
17. The volume of notices increased sharply over the years, requiring investment in
infrastructure and personnel to ensure that notices were promptly processed and forwarded. By
the time of the motion in this case, Rogers notice and notice system was receiving over two
million notices each year. However, even when the system was voluntary, ISPs did not seek to
recover the costs of notice and notice by seeking reimbursement from copyright holders for
processing or forwarding the notices. Rather, it was only when a copyright holder took the next
step and actually sought to obtain the identifying information through a Norwich order that ISPs
would seek to recover their costs of these lookups. This is because, unlike the notice and notice
system, these lookups are not automated. Rather, they must be done manually, and go through a
series of additional verifications before they are disclosed.7
18. The manual lookup process acts as a check on the automated system to ensure that
Rogers is disclosing only accurate personal identifying information. As a result, it is Rogers
practice to verify any customer information before disclosing it to comply with a court order.
Plainly, there would be an extremely high cost to disclosing incorrect customer information. It
would cause, among other things, unnecessary disruption to the customer (being improperly
drawn into potentially expensive court proceedings). This manual process takes between 20 to 30
minutes per IP address.8
19. The Notice and Notice Provisions were contained in Bill C-11, which was ultimately
enacted into the Copyright Modernization Act.9 When this bill was being debated by Parliament,
the Heritage Minister described notice and notice as a unique model that had been developed
by Canadian ISPs. It was also one of the key elements that consumers had told the government
they wanted as part of the bill during pre-legislative consultations.10 Consistent with the principle
of balance between owners and users, the Minister specifically distinguished notice and notice
7
Jackson Affidavit, paras. 20, 21, LA, Tab 8
8
Jackson Affidavit, paras. 21-23, LA, Tab 8
9
S.C. 2012, c. 20
10
House of Commons Debates, 41st Parl., 1st Sess., No. 031 (18 October 2011) at p. 2109 (Hon.
James Moore)
5
078
from the notice and take-down system, stating that the government disagree[d] with the
American approach with regard to copyright.11
20. Following passage of the Copyright Modernization Act, in 2013 the Ministers of Industry
and of Heritage sent a letter to stakeholders seeking input on the implementation of the notice
and notice regime (the 2013 Ministers Letter). The letter explained that the Ministers goal for
the notice and notice regime was that a system be in place that is both balanced and functional;
but most importantly, it must endeavor to deter infringement.12 The letter also described how
the government intended the notice and notice system to operate:
The Act requires that under the Notice and Notice regime, when an ISP or host
receives a notice from a copyright owner that one of its subscribers might be
hosting or sharing infringing material, it forwards that notice electronically to that
subscriber, and informs the copyright holder once this has been done.
Additionally, ISPs and hosts will be required to retain a record allowing the
identity of the alleged infringer to be determined for a period of 6 months.13
21. The operative provision of the Copyright Act containing these requirements (to forward
the notice if possible, inform the claimant of the status, and retain records), s. 41.26, is set out
below.
11
House of Commons Debates, 41st Parl., 1st Sess., No. 031 (18 October 2011) at p. 2109 (Hon.
James Moore)
12
Letter from the Honourable James Moore and the Honourable Shelly Glover, p. 3, LA, Tab 6
13
Letter from the Honourable James Moore and the Honourable Shelly Glover, p. 2, LA, Tab 6
6
079
applicable, of the reason why it was not ou, le cas chant, des raisons pour lesquelles
possible to forward it; and elle na pas pu leffectuer;
(b) retain records that will allow the identity b) conserver, pour une priode de six mois
of the person to whom the electronic location compter de la date de rception de lavis de
belongs to be determined, and do so for six prtendue violation, un registre permettant
months beginning on the day on which the didentifier la personne qui appartient
notice of claimed infringement is received or, lemplacement lectronique et, dans le cas o,
if the claimant commences proceedings avant la fin de cette priode, une procdure
relating to the claimed infringement and so est engage par le titulaire du droit dauteur
notifies the person before the end of those six lgard de la prtendue violation et quelle en
months, for one year after the day on which a reu avis, conserver le registre pour une
the person receives the notice of claimed priode dun an suivant la date de la rception
infringement. de lavis de prtendue violation.
22. An ISP that fails to perform its obligations under s. 41.26(1) can be subject to a claim for
statutory damages of not less than $5,000 and not more than $10,000.14
23. Section 41.26(1) contemplates a fee being paid to ISPs to trigger the obligations to
forward the notice, inform the claimant, and retain records. However, section 41.26(2) stipulates
that this fee shall be zero unless the Minister fixes a maximum fee by regulation.15 There is
currently no regulation fixing a fee. The 2013 Ministers Letter explained that since the primary
goal of the system was to deter infringement, we will not be consulting on the setting of a fee
for the transmission of notices at this time.16 Notably, the 2013 Ministers Letter confirms the
understanding of the fee as being for the limited purpose of transmitting notices.
24. While the Notice and Notice Provisions set out what an ISP is required to do on receipt of
a notice, the Copyright Act is silent on the question of when or whether a subscribers identity
information should be disclosed to the copyright owner. That question was instead left to the
ISPs and, ultimately, the courts, to deal with on a motion for third party discovery (i.e., a
Norwich order). The 2013 Ministers Letter reflects this understanding, stating that the identity
of the subscriber may be released to the copyright owner with a court order.17 This is a key
14
Copyright Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-42, s. 41.26(3)
15
Copyright Act, s. 41.26(2)
16
Letter from the Honourable James Moore and the Honourable Shelly Glover, p. 4, LA, Tab 6
17
Letter from the Honourable James Moore and the Honourable Shelly Glover, p. 2, LA, Tab 6
7
080
point. None of the legislative amendments purport to change the common law rule that a party
seeking third party discovery must pay the third partys costs. The Court of Appeal accepted this
conclusion, holding that the Norwich order process remains to govern disclosure, but then
proceeded to effectively eliminate the well-established Norwich requirement that the third party
be compensated for the inconvenience and expense of complying with the order.
25. Canadas unique model for dealing with copyright infringement online has now been
recognized in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. While the rest of the TPP
signatories are required to use a mechanism closer to the DMCA, Canada is permitted to satisfy
its obligations to facilitate copyright enforcement on the internet through notice and notice.18
26. The notice and notice system has proven very popular with copyright owners. In 2010,
Rogers received a total of 207,000 notices during the year.19 In 2016, it received, on average,
upwards of 200,000 notices per month.20
27. As of 2015, Canadian ISPs served more than 12 million residential subscribers and 1.1
million business subscribers.21 Rogers offers internet services in Ontario, New Brunswick, and
Newfoundland and Labrador, and had approximately 2,145,000 internet subscribers at the end of
2016.22 It is reasonable to assume, based on this market share, that Canadian ISPs receive more
than 1.2 million notices per month.
28. While copyright owners have been sending many notices, Norwich orders are much less
common. However, even those have been increasing. In 2014, Rogers did not receive any notice
and notice-related court orders (requiring it to disclose the identity of subscribers associated with
18
See Article 18.82 and Annex 18-E of the Trans-Pacific Partnership text
19
Testimony of Pam Dinsmore, House of Commons, Legislative Committee on Bill C-32,
Evidence, 40th Parl., 3rd Sess., No. 19, (22 March 2011), p. 3
20
Jackson Affidavit, para. 10, LA, Tab 8
21
Communications Monitoring Report, 2016, Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission, pp. 249, 250
22
Affidavit of Dana Drake, sworn August 4, 2017, para. 2, LA, Tab 10
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081
its IP addresses). In 2015, it had to respond to court orders requiring it to disclose 13 subscriber
identities. In 2016, Rogers was required to disclose subscriber identities associated with 274 IP
addresses.23
29. In the underlying proceeding, the applicants (respondents on this application, collectively
referred to as Voltage) commenced a reverse class action alleging that the proposed
unidentified representative respondent and others similarly situated have infringed their
copyright in several films by engaging in online file sharing.24 The respondent John Doe was not
a party to the original motion in the Federal Court or the appeal to the Federal Court of Appeal,
and is not a party to this application.
30. Voltage identified John Does IP address and determined that it was associated with a
Rogers subscriber. It approached Rogers regarding the disclosure of Does identity. Rogers was
prepared to make the disclosure if Voltage obtained a court order and paid it $100 per hour to
cover its costs associated with complying with the order. Voltage would not agree to those
terms.25
31. Voltage then brought a motion to require Rogers to disclose the identity of the subscriber.
Contrary to the common law requirement for granting a Norwich order, Voltage asked the Court
to excuse it from reimbursing Rogers for its costs of complying with the order.26
32. Rogers took no position on whether the court should order disclosure of its customers
identity, but opposed Voltages demand that Rogers not be reimbursed for its reasonable costs of
compliance. It argued that established principles related to Norwich orders (named after the 1974
House of Lords decision first approving of them, Norwich Pharmacal Co. v. Customs & Excise
23
Drake Affidavit, para. 3, LA, Tab 10
24
Reasons for Order and Order of the Federal Court dated July 28, 2016, para. 1, LA, Tab 3 [FC
Decision]
25
FC Decision, para. 18, LA, Tab 3
26
FC Decision, para. 2, LA, Tab 3
9
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Commissioners), require that the third party not be burdened by bearing the costs of discovery in
a proceeding where it simply holds information. Voltage argued that sections 41.25 and 41.26
had displaced the Norwich principle requiring compensation for costs incurred.
33. The motion judge agreed with Rogers. He held that the provisions did not provide any
detailed or comprehensive mechanism for copyright owners to enforce their rights as against
alleged infringers. At best, [they provide] a mechanism for copyright owners to send a notice of
claimed infringement via an ISP to an alleged infringer with the knowledge that there will be
records available at some later date to determine the identity of such infringer if necessary.27
34. The motion judge recognized the long-standing rule of statutory interpretation, endorsed
by this Court, that Parliament is presumed not to change the common law, unless a statute does
so with irresistible clearness.28 He therefore concluded that the test in Norwich, adopted into
Canadian law several years ago,29 continued to apply:
(1) the applicant for a Norwich order must have a bona fide case;
(2) the third party must have information on an issue in the proceeding;
(3) an order of the Court is the only reasonable means by which the information can
be obtained;
(4) fairness dictates that the information be provided prior to discovery or trial or, in
the circumstances of this case, prior to certification of the proposed class
proceeding; and
(5) the order must not cause undue delay, inconvenience, or expense to the party
against whom such an order is to be issued or others.30
27
FC Decision, para. 11, LA, Tab 3
28
FC Decision, paras. 9, 12, citing Parry Sound (District) Social Services Administration Board
v. OPSEU, Local 324, 2003 SCC 42, LA, Tab 3
29
Glaxo Wellcome PLC v Minister of National Revenue, [1998] 4 F.C.R. 439 (C.A.)
30
FC Decision, para. 13, citing BMG Canada Inc. v. Doe, 2005 FCA 193, LA, Tab 3
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35. The motion judge determined that Voltage had met the first four criteria. However, he
was unpersuaded by Voltages argument that they were not required to reimburse Rogers for its
costs. He reviewed the Notice and Notice Provisions, and concluded that ISPs are only
obligated under section 41.26(1) to do two things: (1) forward the copyright owners notice of
claimed infringement electronically to the pertinent Internet protocol address; and (2) retain
records to allow the subscribers identity to be determined for specified periods of time.
However, he held that neither of these requirements was relevant to discovery orders, and
therefore they did not override the Norwich principle that when discovery is ordered against a
third party, the third party must be reimbursed for its costs.31
36. The motion judge therefore granted Voltages request for an order compelling Rogers to
disclose the identity of its subscriber, on certain terms, and required it to pay Rogers costs of
$100 per hour.32
37. Voltage appealed the portion of the motion judges order requiring it to reimburse Rogers
for its costs. The Court of Appeal determined that the Notice and Notice Provisions require ISPs
to comply with numerous implied obligations, which the Court held the ISPs are required to
discharge without reimbursement. Because the Court of Appeal concluded that these implied
obligations overlap considerably with what is required to comply with a third party discovery
order, it reversed the motion judge and held that ISPs were not permitted to recover almost any
of their costs for complying with these orders.
38. Contrary to the well-established principle of balance, the Court of Appeal took the view
that the animating purpose of the Copyright Act is the protection and vindication of the copyright
owners rights.33 It concluded that allowing the internet to become a collection of safe houses
from which pirates can pilfer the products of others would nullify the aims of the Act. It
31
FC Decision, para. 11, LA, Tab 3
32
Order of the Federal Court dated July 28, 2016, paras. 1, 2, LA, Tab 3
33
Appeal Reasons, para. 23, LA, Tab 4
11
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therefore held that the legislative regime must be interpreted to allow copyright owners to
protect and vindicate their rights as quickly, easily and efficiently as possible while ensuring fair
treatment for all.34
39. The Courts one-sided view of the Act informed its interpretation of the Notice and
Notice Provisions. Ignoring the long history of the system and the goals expressed in the 2013
Ministers Letter, the Court of Appeal interpreted sections 41.25 and 41.26 as if they had been
designed solely to assist copyright owners vindicate their rights. It therefore concluded that the
Notice and Notice Provisions were designed to reduce the complications and answer many of
the questions that can arise when a Norwich order is sought and make the disclosure process
more administrative in nature and faster.35 It relegated the need to put suspected infringers on
notice so that they may cease further infringing conduct to a secondary aim of the Notice and
Notice Provisions.36 It also suggested that an ISPs insistence on a court order prior to disclosing
the identity of their subscribers was merely to protect it against aggrieved customers whose
information is being disclosed, 37 rather than for the bona fide protection of the privacy of
internet subscribers, who may not have done anything wrong.
40. Because it was focused almost exclusively on the rights of copyright owners, the Court of
Appeal interpreted the Notice and Notice Provisions as imposing a series of unstated obligations
on ISPs. In addition to the express obligations in s. 41.26(1) (forwarding a notice to a subscriber
and retaining records allowing the subscribers identity to be determined) the Court of Appeal
held that the provisions also required ISPs to maintain their records in a particular form that
allow [them] to identify suspected infringers quickly and efficiently and that can be used by
the copyright owner to determine its options and by the court to determine issues of copyright
infringement and remedy.38
34
Appeal Reasons, paras. 26, 27, LA, Tab 4
35
Appeal Reasons, para. 21, LA, Tab 4
36
Appeal Reasons, para. 22, LA, Tab 4
37
Appeal Reasons, para. 58, LA, Tab 4
38
Appeal Reasons, paras. 34, 38, LA, Tab 4
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085
41. In total, the Court of Appeal concluded that ISPs were required by s. 41.26(1) to take
seven separate steps, which it described as significant obligations,39 and to do so without a fee:
(1) maintain records in a form that allows them to identify suspected infringers;
(6) translate the records into a manner and form that allows them to be disclosed
promptly and to be used by copyright owners and the courts to determine the
identity of suspected infringers; and
42. Because the Court of Appeal viewed these obligations as overlapping with what would be
required to make disclosure for a Norwich order, the Court concluded that Rogers was not
entitled to be reimbursed for its costs. Remarkably, it suggested that this was not a burden on
ISPs because after all, depending on the elasticity of demand, the costs can be passed on to the
subscribers of the products of internet service providers, some of whom are the suspected
infringers.41
43. The Court also ignored the difference between ISPs costs and free-standing fees,
reasoning that if ISPs were allowed to charge without restriction, the purpose of the Act and
the Notice and Notice Provisions (protecting the rights of copyright owners) would be frustrated,
as ISPs could potentially charge a fee so large that copyright owners would be dissuaded from
obtaining the information they need to protect and vindicate their rights.42 Instead, the Court
advised the ISPs on how to manage their business processes, recommending that they should
39
Appeal Reasons, paras. 42, 43, LA, Tab 4
40
Appeal Reasons, para. 40, LA, Tab 4
41
Appeal Reasons, para. 49, LA, Tab 4 [emphasis added]
42
Appeal Reasons, para. 50, LA, Tab 4
13
086
apply their advanced technological expertise to their systems to make their compliance with
subsection 41.26(1) more automatic, more efficient and less expensive.43 Although the Court
did not say so expressly, its suggestion is that ISPs should bear the cost of these investments in
technology.
44. The Court carved out a narrow (and, in the Courts own words, negligible) exception to
the no-reimbursement rule, holding that ISPs could charge a fee for the actual, reasonable and
necessary costs associated with the act of disclosure but defined the act of disclosure
narrowly to encompass only the delivery or electronic transmission of the relevant records and
the ISPs participation in the obtaining of a disclosure order.44 The Court held that the actual,
reasonable and necessary costs associated with disclosure were likely to be negligible, and the
costs associated with a motion for disclosure would be minimal because the disclosure motion
would proceed in writing on consent or unopposed, except in extraordinary cases.45
45. The Court of Appeal therefore concluded that the Federal Courts decision was vitiated
by legal error as it allowed Rogers to be compensated for steps that, in its view, were included
among the implied obligations in s. 41.26(1). Therefore, it set aside that aspect of the Federal
Courts order. 46 It also determined that Rogers had not provided evidence about its actual,
reasonable and necessary costs that can and should be compensated and had therefore not
satisfied its burden of demonstrating it should be entitled to any payment for costs incurred in
responding to the order.47 It even ordered that in light of the position taken by Rogers in this
litigation Rogers should actually pay Voltages costs of the appeal, which turned out to be over
$6,000.
46. The Court of Appeals reasons appear to impose obligations on ISPs in relation to records
retention and response time that go beyond those in the Act, and have far reaching consequences.
43
Appeal Reasons, para. 52, LA, Tab 4
44
Appeal Reasons, paras. 61, 62, LA, Tab 4
45
Appeal Reasons, paras. 63, 64, LA, Tab 4
46
Appeal Reasons, para. 73, LA, Tab 4
47
Appeal Reasons, para. 75, LA, Tab 4
14
087
For example, the Courts reasons suggest that Rogers must maintain millions of records per year
in a promptly disclosable form usable to the courts, so that it can respond promptly to requests
for Norwich orders. However, it only receives Norwich order requests for approximately 0.01
percent of those records. It makes no sense for Rogers to bear the cost of getting ready to
respond to requests for 10,000 times more Norwich orders per year than are actually sought.
47. Following the Court of Appeals decision, copyright owners have also attempted to rely
on it to argue that ISPs have an obligation to make disclosure quickly, and even in priority to
requests made by law enforcement in criminal matters.48
48. The question in this application is whether the proposed appeal raises an issue of national
or public importance that warrants granting leave to appeal. The applicant submits that it does.
As this Court has observed, ISPs and other internet intermediaries are vital to national economic
growth and copyright disputes between creators and users should not be visited on the heads of
the Internet intermediaries.49 The Court of Appeals decision interprets the recent Notice and
Notice amendments to the Copyright Act in a manner that is inconsistent with the guidance given
by this Court, and wrongly imposes costs and obligations on ISPs and their subscribers 13
million Canadians.
49. In particular, this case raises the following issues that warrant this Courts consideration:
(1) What is the scope of the obligations imposed on Canadian ISPs by sections 41.25
and 41.26 of the Copyright Act?
48
Reply Written Representations of Dallas Buyers Club, LLC, dated June 30, 2017, in Federal
Court File No. T-1674-16, LA, Tab 9
49
Society of Composers, Authors & Music Publishers of Canada v. Canadian Assn. of Internet
Providers, 2004 SCC 45, para. 131 [CAIP]
15
088
50. This Court has repeatedly emphasized that the Copyright Act involves balancing the
rights of users and the rights of creators, against a backdrop of trying to apply national laws to
fast-evolving technology.50 It has also recognized that ISPs play a crucial role in modern society
by standing at the portals of the internet 51 as conduits for information. 52 They are service
providers to individuals and businesses, and other content providers depend on their services to
deliver their content over the internet to those end-users.53
51. The enactment of the Notice and Notice Provisions was intended to confirm and
formalize the existing informal balance struck voluntarily by ISPs through the notice and notice
regime that pre-dated the 2012 amendments. The Court of Appeals decision upsets the balance
and purports to impose significant obligations on ISPs that are not found in the Copyright Act.
Instead of treating ISPs as a conduit for information, and the portal for the internet, the decision
below brings them into the fray in the fight between users and owners, and seeks to impose the
burden of almost all transaction costs relating to Norwich orders onto innocent third parties,
contrary to well-established principles.
52. This case is, in essence, the sequel to the issues arising from unauthorized music
downloading that this Court considered in SOCAN v. CAIP. In that case, various rights holders
sought copyright royalties from ISPs for their role in providing the infrastructure for
unauthorized downloading of music from the internet. The Court rejected that request.
50
CAIP, paras. 40, 41, citing Thberge v. Galerie dArt du Petit Champlain inc., 2002 SCC 34
and CCH Canadian Ltd. v. Law Society of Upper Canada, 2004 SCC 13
51
CAIP, para. 16
52
Reference re Broadcasting Act, 2012 SCC 4, para. 7
53
Reference re Broadcasting Act, 2012 SCC 4, para. 2
16
089
53. In explaining the Courts decision, Binnie J. observed that, while the difficulty of online
enforcement threatened the collection of copyright royalties, this was not a reason to impose
additional costs on ISPs. He admonished copyright holders that:
54. One of Parliaments goals in enacting the Copyright Modernization Act was to provide
rights holders with tools to assist in enforcing their copyright online, including by expanding a
previously voluntary system and making participation in the system mandatory. However, there
is nothing in the Copyright Modernization Act that suggests Parliament completely changed its
policy objectives, and in particular had opted to visit the costs of copyright disputes on the
heads of internet intermediaries, notwithstanding their crucial economic and technological role.
55. The Court of Appeal decision is inconsistent with this Courts admonition and its
repeated calls for balance. Instead, it focused solely on the rights of copyright owners and
interpreted the legislative regime to ensure they could protect and vindicate their rights as
quickly, easily and efficiently as possible. While easy enforcement may be desirable in abstract,
there is no reason why it should override all other goals, and impose substantial financial burdens
on third parties. If Parliament wanted only to protect and vindicate copyright owners rights, it
could have embraced notice and take-down, which is far easier and more efficient for owners
than notice and notice.
56. But Parliament declined to do so. Instead, it enacted the notice and notice system with the
clear goal of ensuring balance between different stakeholders, and not visiting the disputes on the
innocent intermediaries. Viewed through this lens, rather than an exclusive concern for
vindicating copyright owners rights, it is clear that whether or not the Notice and Notice
Provisions actually impose the list of implied obligations enumerated by the Court of Appeal is a
question of national or public importance.
54
CAIP, para. 131 (emphasis added)
17
090
57. Indeed, the governments own understanding of the notice and notice system appears to
be at odds with the Court of Appeals decision. The 2013 Ministers Letter makes it clear that the
governments goal was a system that is both balanced and functional, and that it would leave
questions of disclosure to the courts. The description of the regulatory power related to fees was
confined to the transmission of notices and the maintenance of records.
58. In any event, the concerns regarding compensation that appear to have motivated the
Court of Appeals interpretation of the Notice and Notice Provisions are misplaced, for two
reasons. First, the Courts concern that allowing ISPs to charge without restriction would
potentially place hurdles in the way of copyright owners ignores the fact that the existing law
related to Norwich orders contains built-in restrictions: it allows compensation only for the
costs incurred by the respondent in assembling the information. 55 There is no evidence or
suggestion that Rogers made a profit on Norwich compliance; it simply seeks to collect its costs.
59. Second, to the extent that any costs are incurred by rights holders in enforcing their
copyright in the courts, these costs can be recovered from infringers when they are found liable.
Reimbursing the ISPs costs for compliance with third party discovery is in substance no
different from paying a filing fee to commence a claim.
60. The result of the Court of Appeals order is that ISPs, and by extension their millions of
innocent subscribers, are forced to bear the costs of private rights-holders attempting to enforce
their copyright against alleged infringers. This Court should grant leave in order to provide
guidance about whether this is the result that was intended by Parliament in enacting the Notice
and Notice Provisions.
Issue 2: To what extent do any obligations imposed on ISPs supplant ordinary Norwich
principles?
61. This Court recently noted that Norwich orders are being used increasingly in the online
context by plaintiffs in order to obtain the identities of defendants to claims related to their
conduct on the internet.56 The Federal Court of Appeal has set out the applicable principles for
55
BMG Canada Inc. v. Doe, 2005 FCA 193, para. 35
56
Google Inc. v. Equustek Solutions Inc., 2017 SCC 34
18
091
obtaining a Norwich order in the case of allegations of online copyright infringement. Those
principles are set out in paragraph 34 above, and include that the plaintiff must have a bona fide
case, that a non-party must have information on an issue in the proceeding, and that any order
made will not cause undue delay, inconvenience or expense to the third-party or others.57
62. To the extent that the Notice and Notice Provisions impose any obligations on ISPs over
and above the express obligations in s. 41.26(1), this Courts guidance is required in relation to
whether those obligations reach the threshold of irresistible clearness required to override the
well-established and understood requirements of Norwich orders.58
63. The Court of Appeals interpretation of ISPs obligations under the Notice and Notice
Provisions is one of general application: it is not dependent on the application of any particular
facts in this proceeding. Moreover, the Court of Appeal stated that future disclosure motions of
the type underlying this appeal should proceed in writing and either be unopposed or on consent.
It is therefore unlikely that future cases will present any opportunity for the Court of Appeal or
this Court to consider the issues raised in this application.
Conclusion
64. The Court of Appeals decision imposes a set of obligations on ISPs that are not
expressly contained in the Copyright Act. If these obligations are to impose costs on ISPs and by
extension on millions of innocent Canadians, they should receive the careful consideration of this
Court.
65. Rogers submits that the costs of this application should follow the event.
57
Voltage Picture LLC v. John Doe, 2014 FC 161, para 45, citing BMG Canada Inc. v. Doe,
2005 FCA 193
58
Parry Sound (District) Social Services Administration Board v. OPSEU, Local 324, 2003 SCC
42, para. 39
19
092
66. The applicant seeks an order granting leave to appeal the judgment of the Federal Court
of Appeal dated May 9, 2017 in Court File No. A-278-16, with costs.
Torys LLP
_____________________________ ________________________________
Andrew Bernstein / James Gotowiec Yael Wexler
20
093
CASES
Secondary Sources
10. Article 18.82 and Annex 18-E of the Trans-Pacific Partnership text 25
https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/about-us/who-we-are/treaties/trans-pacific-
partnership-agreement-tpp/text-of-the-trans-pacific-partnership
11. Comments of the Electronic Frontier Foundation before the U.S. Copyright 14
Office, In the Matter of Section 512 Study, April 1, 2016, pp. 9-12
https://www.eff.org/files/2016/04/01/eff_comments_512_study_4.1.2016.
pdf
13. House of Commons Debates, 41st Parl., 1st Sess., No. 031 (18 October 19
2011) at p. 2109 (Hon. James Moore)
http://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/41-1/house/sitting-
31/hansard
14. Jennifer M. Urban, Joe Karaganis & Brianna L. Schofield, Notice and 13
Takedown in Everyday Practice (March 22, 2017). UC Berkeley Public
Law Research Paper No. 2755628, p. 15
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2755628
Copyright Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-42 Loi sur le droit d'auteur, L.R.C 1985, c. C-
42
The Notice and Notice regime is intended Le regime davis et avis vise a decourager
to discourage online copyright la violation du droit dauteur en ligne en
infringement by providing copyright foumissant aux ayants droit un outil pour
owners with a tool to enforce their rights, faire appliquer leurs droits, tout en
while also respecting the interests and respectant aussi les interets et les libertes
freedoms of users. We recognize that the des utilisateurs. Nous reconnaissons que la
Copyright Modernization Act formalizes Lot sur la modernisation du droit dauteur
existing voluntary practices currently in officialise des pratiques volontaires
place. Once Notice and Notice is in force, existantes actuellement en place. Lorsque
the provisions will legally require internet lavis et avis sera en vigueur, les
intermediaries, such as ISPs, hosts and dispositions obligeront legalement les
search engines, to take action upon interm6diaires Internet, comme les FSI,
receiving a notice of alleged infringement hotes et moteurs de recherche, a agir apres
from a copyright owner. Marketplace avoir re?u un avis de violation alleguee
solutions that deter infringement continue dun ayant droit. Les solutions
to be welcomed and we look forward to commerciales pour dissuader la violation
seeing further solutions as they develop. du droit dauteur continuent detre
favorablement accueillies, et nous
attendons avec interet de voir dautres
solutions a mesure quelles seront
elaborees.
...2
/n it
Canada
099
- 2
-
The Act requires that under the Notice and Le regime davis et avis prevoit que le FSI
Notice regime, when an ISP or host ou lhote qui a regu dun ayant droit un avis
receives a notice from a copyright owner selon lequel un de ses abonnes peut etre en
that one of its subscribers might be hosting train dheberger ou ddch anger du contenu
or sharing infringing material, it forwards illicite, doit transmettre cet avis
that notice electronically to that subscriber, electroniquement a cet abonne, puis en
and informs the copyright holder once this informer 1ayant droit.
has been done.
If the ISP or host is unable to forward the Si le FSI ou lhote nest pas en mesure de
notice, it must inform the copyright holder transmettre lavis, il doit informer Payant
as to the reasons why. Additionally, ISPs droit des raisons pour lesquelles il ne peut
and hosts will be required to retain a record pas le faire. En outre, les FSI et les hotes
allowing the identity of the alleged seront tenus de conserver un dossier
infringer to be determined for a period of permettant de determiner lidentite du
6 months, or longer if court proceedings contrevenant pendant six mois, ou pour une
are initiated. The identity of the subscriber periode plus longue en cas de procedures
may be released to the copyright owner judiciaires. Lidentity de labonnd peut etre
with a court order. ISPs or hosts that fail to divulguee a 1ayant droit sur ordonnance du
retain such records or to forward notices tribunal. Les FSI ou hotes qui ne
may be liable for statutory damages conservent pas de tels dossiers ou ne
ranging from $5,000 to $10,000. transmettent pas les avis peuvent etre
passibles de dommages-interets preetablis
allant de 5 000 a 10 000 dollars.
] A copyright owner can also send a notice Un ayant droit peut egalement envoyer un
- to a search engine. If the notice refers to avis a un moteur de recherche. Si lavis fait
: material that has already been removed reference a du contenu qui a deja ete retire
i . from the specified electronic location in the de Iemplacement electronique precise dans
notice, the search engine is expected to lavis, le moteur de recherche devrait
remove any copies it may have generated supprimer toutes les copies quil peut avoir
; in die course of its business (for caching gdnerees au cours de ses activites (a des fins
jj purposes, for example) within 30 days. At de memoire cache, par exemple) dans les
ij any time prior to the expiration of the A
30 jours. tout moment prdcddant
? 30-day period, a copyright owner may only Texpiration de la periode de 30 jours,
I seek an injunction against the search 1ayant droit ne peut obtenir quune
engine. Any copies not removed after injonction contre le moteur de recherche.
ij 30 days will not benefit from the limitation Toutes les copies non retirees aprfes les
j of liability, and the copyright owner will be 30 jours ne bendficieront pas de la limitation
ij in a position to pursue other remedies de la responsabilite, et 1ayant droit sera en
(e.g., damages) against the search engine mesure de se prevaloir dautres recours
. for infringement of copyright. In order to (p. ex., des dommages-interets) contre le
be considered valid, the legislation moteur de recherche pour violation du droit
. specifies that notices must: dauteur. Pour etre consideres valides selon
la loi, les avis doivent:
...3
100
-3 -
b. state the claimants name and address b. preciser les nom et adresse du
and any other particulars prescribed by demandeur et contenir tout autre
regulation that enable communication renseignement prevu par
with the claimant; r&glement qui permet la
communication avec lui;
. h. contain any other information that may h. contenir, le cas echeant, tout
be prescribed by regulation. autre renseignement prevu par
reglement.
...4
101
-4-
help better achieve this. Therefore, please stade, il nest pas evident que le reglement
provide concrete evidence and empirical contribue k latteinte de cet objectif,
data, where available, to support your veuillez fournir, au besoin, des preuves
views. concretes et des donnees empiriques k
lappui de votre opinion.
We thank you in advance for your interest Nous vous remercions k lavance de votre
in deterring copyright infringement in interet a legard de la dissuasion de la
Canada and contribution to this discussion. violation du droit dauteur au Canada et de
We are also looking to move forward in the votre contribution a cette discussion.
early fall so please provide us with your Comme nous envisageons daller de lavant
comments to us by Friday, November 8, au debut de lautomne avec lentrde en
2013, to the following address: vigueur du regime, nous vous saurions gr6
Notice-AvisConsultations @ ic. ec.ca de bien vouloir nous transmettre vos
commentaires dici le vendredi
8 novembre 2013 a ladresse suivante :
Notice-AvisConsultations @ ic. gc.ca
If you have any questions, please dont Si vous avez des questions, nhesitez pas
hesitate to contact communiquer avec
Ms. Anne-Marie Monteith, Director, Mme Anne-Marie Monteith, directrice,
Copyright and Trademark Policy, Industry
Politique du droit dauteur et des marques
Canada tanne-marie.monteith@ic.gc.ca') or
de commerce, Industrie Canada
Ms. Lara Taylor, Director, Policy and
(anne-marie.monteith@ic.gc.ca') ou avec
Legislation, Department of Canadian
Heritage tiara.tavlor@pch.gc.cab for Mme Lara Taylor, directrice, Politiques et
further information. legislations, ministere du Patrimoine
canadien (lara.tavlor@pch.gc.ca').
...5
102
-5-
Thank you for taking the time to consider Nous vous remercions de prendre le temps
this important matter. dexaminer cette importante question.
The Honourable Shelly Glover, P.C., M.P. Lhonorable Shelly Glover, C.P., ddputee
103 55 26
From: Ken Clark <kclark(g)airdberlis.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2016 5:28 PM
Subject: Federal Court Application T-662-16
To: Karen Levin <karen.levin(g>rci.rogers.com>. Peter Mckibbon <peter.mckibbon(5>rci.rogers.com>
Cc: Jessica Millar <imillar(5)airdberlis.com>. Patrick Copeland <pcopeland@airdberlis.com>
We are counsel for Voltage Pictures, LLC and the Applicants in Federal Court File No. T-662-
16. On Tuesday, April 26, 2016 we sent tocopvriqhtnotice@roqers.com the attached notice
(email and Notice attached) regarding the sending of a notice-and-notice notice to an unknown
infringer of five of Voltage Pictures copyrighted movies.
As you will see in the notice, the infringer was a Rogers subscriber, who was allocated IP
address 174.112.37.227 and who was observed having in its possession the following works, at
the following times:
We would like to know the identity and contact information for the Rogers subscriber identified
by the IP Address set out above, allocated at the times set out above. We understand that
normally this would not be provided due to privacy legislation, however, we request formal
confirmation of same.
In the expected event that Rogers will not disclose this information, can you please indicate to
us who we should be communicating with in respect of counsel as we intend to bring aNorwich
motion to compel Rogers to disclose this information, so that we may serve on this individual the
attached Notice of Application.
Also please note that the attached Application is a proposed class action as against all
individuals who are unlawfully file sharing the above-referenced works. We believe that there
are thousands of Rogers subscribers who will form part of the Defendant Class, and we would
like to have a discussion with Rogers in respect of how to deal with that issue.
Can you please let us know if you would be prepared to have a meeting with us to discuss
these issues.
Also, please let us know if you have any questions or require any further information.
Yours truly,
104 56
T 416.865.4736
F 416.863.1515
E kclark@airdberlis.com