Statement on York University’s decision to appeal Federal Court decision

Thursday, August 3, 2017

This past July, the Federal Court of Canada issued its decision in the Access Copyright v. York University litigation. York University has now declared that it will challenge that decision by appealing it to the Federal Court of Appeal.

One of the central issues of the litigation was the copying practices and policies in place at York University. The Court was unequivocal. These practices and policies lead to illegal behavior.

York University has asserted that it respects copyright law by spending millions of dollars on licences. After a four week trial and a detailed analysis of the evidence presented by both Access Copyright and York University, the Federal Court found that despite York’s claims, York did not have the licences or permissions to copy most of the works it used.

Fair compensation to creators is absolutely vital so that they can continue to create quality content for the classroom. Access Copyright is committed to upholding the rights of creators and publishers to ensure they are fairly compensated when their works are used. We are also open to working collaboratively with educational institutions to resolve the situation in an amicable fashion in time for the new school year.