Notices, Orders and Rulings

[CB-CDA 2024-028]

ORDER OF THE BOARD

Matters: Commercial Television Tariffs (2014-2024) and CBC Television Tariffs (2015-2025)

April 24, 2024

[1] A case management conference (“CMC”) was held on April 4, 2024, to discuss parties’ input to determine the best procedural approaches going forward, notably how to proceed with the examination of the tariff periods that are covered by agreements, have no objectors, prolong the status quo, or raise secondary issues. An agenda was provided. Parties did not ask to add any items to the agenda.

[2] At the CMC, all concerned Parties undertook to aim to provide the Board within 30 days after the CMC with a jointly-submitted text (“JST”) that would inform the consideration of the proposed SOCAN Tariffs 2.A and 17 up to 2021, inclusively, and possibly beyond.

[3] Discussions about the opportunity of joining SOCAN Tariffs 2.A and 17 for the years 2025-2027 to the current proceeding occurred. Parties were favourable to this option. It was understood that objectors to those proposed tariff years not present at the CMC would be consulted on whether to join those tariff years, in due course. While there was no undertaking to provide a JST for SOCAN Tariff 2.A and 17 for those years, I expect that SOCAN will inform me whether settlement discussions are happening or likely to take place in respect of these tariff years.

[4] SOCAN also informed me that settlement discussions with the CBC are taking place with respect to SOCAN Tariff 2.D. I trust that the concerned parties will apprise me of any development in due course.

[5] Finally, in terms of the reproduction tariffs, it was agreed that they would be the subject-matter of another CMC. In this respect, a notice with further details will be issued once the JSTs in respect of the communication tariffs are received.

ORDER

Parties are to file their JSTs or provide a detailed update with respect to their settlement discussions no later than Friday, May 10, 2024. I draw parties' attention to Rule 33 of the Copyright Board Rules of Practice and Procedure as well as [PN 2022-005 rev.1] Practice Notice on Filing of Jointly-Submitted Texts in a Proceeding.

René Côté

Case Manager