OTTAWA – Industry Canada has tapped Justice Robert A. Blair as chair of the Copyright Board of Canada for a five-year term, effective immediately.
Blair, pictured, was appointed to the Court of Appeal for Ontario in November 2003, after serving for 12 years as a trial judge on the Superior Court, reads Wednesday’s announcement. In both capacities, he has presided over matters involving almost all areas of the law, with a particular emphasis as a trial judge on cases on the Commercial List in Toronto and a continuing involvement with such cases at the appellate level.
“I would like to welcome Justice Robert A. Blair in his new role as Chair of the Copyright Board of Canada”, said Industry Minister James Moore, in the announcement. “His considerable experience and knowledge will be of great value to the Board as it continues to oversee the administration of royalties and licences relating to copyright material.”
“The Board is a very important federal tribunal whose decisions affect the livelihood of the many Canadians involved in the creation, performance and reproduction of literary, artistic and musical works and sound recordings, and the users of those creative works”, added Blair. “I am very excited about taking on this interesting new challenge and working with the tribunal members and staff in carrying out this role and achieving the Board’s objectives.”
The Copyright Board of Canada is an economic regulatory body empowered to establish, either mandatorily or at the request of an interested party, the royalties to be paid for the use of copyrighted works when the administration of such copyright is entrusted to a collective-administration society.
