Grey market victory

A Quebec judge has struck down two sections of the Radiocommunications Act, ruling that, by making it illegal for Canadians to subscribe to foreign satellite services, they violated freedom of expression under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Oct. 28 ruling by Judge Danielle Cote reopens the door for grey-market satellite systems in Quebec, but is already being challenged by anti-piracy lobbyists who are calling for an immediate federal appeal.

‘This underscores the need for the government to reintroduce its bill to amend the… Act as expeditiously as possible,’ says Harris Boyd of the Coalition Against Satellite Signal Theft. The ruling comes with a one-year grace period.

Going once…

Famous Players is running an online auction on its website until the end of November to help raise funds for the Fondation de la Cinematheque quebecoise, and the top item is dinner with Oscar-winning power couple Denys Arcand and Denise Robert. Souvenirs from Gaz bar blues, Exotica and Seraphin: Un homme et son peche are also up for grabs. All proceeds go to the Cinematheque.

Har-de-har-har

The Comedy Network and the World of Comedy International Film Festival are offering producers a $5,000 development deal and a chance to do a half-hour primetime series on Comedy. Proposals for the Canada-wide ‘Make with the Funny’ competition may include sitcoms, sketch comedy, parody, animation, magazine format, lifestyle and reality and are due by Dec. 3, 2004. See www.thecomedynetwork.ca for details.

MIJO grows

StanCon has been purchased by MIJO Corporation. MIJO president and CEO Joe Reitman and executive VP and COO Michael Goldberg announced the acquisition on Oct. 29. StanCon, founded in 1983, was the first company in Toronto to offer multi-directional digital video standards conversions service, allowing transfers to or from NTSC, PAL and SECAM. StanCon Video will operate as a division of MIJO at the company’s offices on Queen Street in Toronto.