MONTREAL and TORONTO – The government’s new copyright legislation will bring Canada in line with international standards while promoting home-grown innovation and creativity, according to Industry Minister Tony Clement and Heritage Minister James Moore.
"Today we are introducing a copyright bill that offers a common-sense balance between the interests of consumers and the rights of the creative community," said Minister Moore, in a statement on Wednesday. "The bill is flexible, reflects the changing behaviours of consumers and the evolution of technology, and responds to what we heard in the consultations."
Noting the popularity of Web 2.0, social media, and technologies like the MP3 player and digital books, the statement says that the bill recognizes the many new ways in which Canadians use technology, while giving creators and copyright owners the tools to protect their work and grow their business models.
"Our government promised to introduce legislation that will modernize Canadian copyright law for the digital age while protecting and creating jobs, promoting innovation and attracting new investment to Canada," said Minister Clement, in the statement. "This legislation will ensure that Canada’s copyright laws are forward-looking and responsive in a fast-paced digital world."
While the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) said that it was “relieved” that Canada’s copyright laws will now be compliant with the 1997 World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Internet treaties, the group also described the bill "a blow to artists".
“How is it ‘balanced’ to allow people to make copies of our work without giving us anything in return? Half the bill is missing, the half that respects and pays creators,” said ACTRA national president Ferne Downey, in a statement. “The simple step of extending the private copying levy to digital devices is a win-win solution for consumers and artists, it seems like it would have been a no-brainer.”
ACTRA has called for a bill that balances the ability of Canadians to enjoy creative content wherever and whenever they want while making sure that creators are compensated. It said that the new bill “leaves creators out in the cold” by legalizing format shifting and private copying without building on existing royalty systems so that income flows to artists.
More to come.
