There seems to be confusion over how the Canadian government's intentions to amend its copyright laws will impact the downloading of music. While some Web sites and media outlets are reporting the changes will make it illegal to download music, this is not the case. Instead, it will be illegal to share music with other people, and ISPs will have to play an active role - whatever that entails - to make sure their customers do not infringe on copyright. Niether one of these clauses will make it illegal to download music. And given downloading music is one of the key reasons broadband Internet access has such high penetration in Canada, it will be a marketing/strategic challenge for ISPs to "police" customers.
While it's fine to amend copyright laws, the Canadian government also need to re-visit its levy regime, which places a tax on everything from blank CDs and hard drives to MP3 players and digital camera memory. One of the reasons Canadians feel they have the right to download free music is the belief we are already paying for it though the levy system, which is supposed to direct money to artists, labels and publishers. If the Canadian government really wants to address the whole downloading issue, it needs to scrap the levy and create a completely new system that's fair to consumers, artists, labels and publishers. Until then, our copyright system when it comes to digital media will continue to be a mess.

According to BusinessWeek's Justin Hibbard, Vonage is poised to raise another US$100-million. The deal would value the company at US$980- million - which seems about right given based on 8x8 Inc.'s market capitalization, which has dropped by more than 50% this year. The question is why more private equity as opposed to an IPO? Certainly, it's an easier way to raise money, and staying private lets you aggressively grow the business (a.k.a. lose money) without too much shareholder and media scrutiny. Then there's the cost of being public in the Sarbanes-Oxley era - a situation that may be complicated by Vonage CEO Jeff Citron's previous troubles with the SEC.
Vonage's timing is interesting. As Om Malik points out, the new FCC chair Kevin Martin may not be as VOIP-friendly as Michael Powell. Vonage has also had some technical probably, highlighted by a lawsuit in Texas where a girl was unable to call 911 during an armed robbery. As well, you have to know Vonage realizes the VOIP market will become a lot more crowded this year as the cablecos rumble into the game with services that will be carrier-class.
Perhaps Vonage figures it should strike while the iron is hot, which means doing something quickly that doesn't involve marketing and a road show. It reminds me in some ways of Research in Motion, which has shown a knack for raising lots of cash when interest is at a peak