No Copyright Act amendments for the book sector announced in the Fall Economic Statement
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
December 18, 2024 - Copibec and Access Copyright are deeply concerned following the tabling of the Fall Economic Statement on December 16, 2024. Once again, the government has dismissed repeated calls from the book sector to amend the Copyright Act.
“While we welcome the announcement to amend the Copyright Act with regard to resale rights for visual artists, we had hoped that the government would seize the opportunity to mark the 100th anniversary of the Act by providing rightsholders with the means to be remunerated when their works are reproduced in the educational sector,” laments Christian Laforce, Executive Director of Copibec.
"Since the 2012 amendments to the Copyright Act, writers, visual artists, and publishers have lost hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue due to the educational fair dealing exception. Yet, instead of seeing a tangible response from the government, the book sector has had to endure endless broken promises. This failure on the part of the government continues to undermine the whole sector,” says Kate Edwards, Access Copyright's Chief Executive Officer.
Canada's inaction on fair dealing is disappointing and embarrassing, especially among our international partners. Canadian fair dealing exceptions have been flagged by the United States Trade Representative as a cause for concern, placing Canada on a watch list. This fall, the international copyright community gathered in Quebec City for IFRRO's annual congress, where a resolution was passed calling on the Canadian government to amend the Copyright Act. Despite this, our current copyright regime remains incompatible with international treaties, including the Berne Convention.
Canada's Copyright Act must be amended as soon as possible. The government has stood idly by for far too long, and it will be unacceptable if another parliamentary session passes by without a clear path forward on fair dealing. Copibec and Access Copyright call on the government to stand up and protect Canadian authors, rights holders, and publishers. Our country deserves a strong copyright system that will allow our creative industries to thrive, to the benefit of all Canadians.
About Copibec
Copibec is the Quebec collective management society for reproduction rights, a non-profit social economy enterprise specialized in copyright management. It represents over 30,000 authors and 1,300 publishing houses. Copibec provides users of copyright-protected material with simple and tailored solutions to meet their needs. On the international scale, the collective management society has agreements with over 33 foreign societies to include books, newspapers, and magazines from these countries in its repertoire. Among its members are UNEQ, ANEL, RAAV, AJIQ, FPQJ, SODEP, Quotidiens du Québec, and Hebdos du Québec.
About Access Copyright
For over 35 years, Access Copyright has facilitated content use for educational and professional purposes. Access Copyright helps users make personalized use of published materials, while ensuring that the original creators and publishers also benefit, so that they can continue creating new and innovative works. This is vitally important for a strong Canadian culture and for all those who rely on quality publications.
Contact :
Kate Edwards
CEO, Access Copyright
416-868-1620 x233
Christian Laforce
Directeur général, Copibec
450-646-6362