TOP COURT WHISTLES DOWN BELL AND NFL’S LAST MINUTE PLAY

The Supreme Court of Canada shot down an attempt by Bell Canada and the NFL to stall a regulatory decision on Super Bowl advertising before the game on Feb. 4. Canada’s highest court dismissed the application by BCE

Inc. and the NFL to stay the CRTC’s decision to ban swapping U. S. ads for Canadian ones during the most-watched live TV event in the country. The CRTC prohibited simultaneous substitution in the name of giving Canadians what they want — the ability to watch bigbudget U. S. commercials. Bell and the NFL asked for the stay in early January when they applied for leave to appeal the CRTC decision at the Supreme Court. While the court did not grant the stay, Judge Russell Brown did grant their request to deal with the leave to appeal on an expedited basis.