Competition Act

[Tom Mckay]

I would love to get on board with this.
Tom McKay


On Wed, Jun 17, 2009 at 1:32 PM, Darryl Moore <darryl at moores.ca> wrote:

> Russell, I agree completely with your conclusion here, but at the same
> time I think we are now looking at a slightly different kettle of fish.
>
> With the DVD-CCA issue it is very difficult to point at any one company
> and say that they are suffering as a result of anti-competitive
> practices. There is nothing stopping you, in Canada anyway, from
> installing decss on anything you want. Perhaps the big DVD player
> manufactures would be able to claim greater hardship, but I also suspect
> they were not included in your submission.
>
> In this case I think it is easy to point to any number of system
> integrators (you, myself, others) who can put quantifiable numbers on
> the extra cost required to meet Microsoft's arbitrary terms, so that
> they can give the minimal 3rd party compatibility necessary to make the
> product technically feasible.
>
> That coupled with the fact the MS already leverages their monopoly to
> get 3rd party S/W vendors to subsidize the OS effectively giving it a
> negative cost to the consumer, and I think you have a reasonable case.
>
> Given that to date the CB has done nothing to reign in this monopoly,
> perhaps this will be viewed as their opportunity to do something, and
> they'd be helping small businesses more than the big ones for a change.
> They'd also be seen as leveling the playing field for OSS which is
> becoming more and more popular with governments these days. (At least,
> they like to give it more lip service now )
>
> I would love to see what you submitted to the CB all those years ago if
> you are willing to share. It might help me put together an initial draft
> for this submission.
>
> cheers,
> darryl
>
>
> Russell McOrmond wrote:
> > On Tue, 16 Jun 2009, Darryl Moore wrote:
> >
> >> Interesting according to section 10(1)(a) they HAVE to open an
> >> investigation if 6 people file a complaint. I wonder if Russell's
> >> original complaint had 6 names
> >>
> >> Also once the inquiry is open they have to keep you appraised of its
> >> progress. 10(2)
> >
> >    Yes and Yes.  The second part was fulfilled by phone calls from the
> > bureau explaining that they did a quick market analysis and didn't think
> > there was a reason to investigate further.
> >
> >    My complaint, partly coordinated to have other people send in letters
> > through the Digital-copyright.ca mailing list, was about the DVD CCA and
> > DRM.  Microsoft was peripherally mentioned as a beneficiary of locked
> > platforms, and the whole issue became a chapter by Michael Geist in "In
> > The Public Interest" (DRM and competition), but nothing much came out of
> > it.  He was also hired to do a report for the bureau, and I made a number
> > of (unsolicited) submissions.
> >
> >    I'm of the opinion that we need to get MPs in the right committees to
> > get excited about this before much will come out of it.  The designed-in
> > secrecy of the under-resourced bureau has allowed it to be invisably
> > ineffective.
> >
>
>
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>
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