Access Copyright Foundation Research Grant renamed in Marian Hebb’s honour

Thursday, May 14, 2015

The Access Copyright Research Grant has been renamed in honour of creative advocate and copyright pioneer Marian Hebb. The announcement was made the evening before the Access Copyright AGM at an event celebrating Marian and the other outgoing members of the Access Copyright board.

Marian’s involvement with Access Copyright stretches back to the late-80s, when the idea of an organization that would ensure writers and publishers would be paid when their works were photocopied was just that...an idea.

Marian drafted Access Copyright’s first by-laws and was again involved when they were recently amended to articulate the organization’s revised mission to serve both those who work with content and those whose work is content. She has also served as legal counsel to Access Copyright’s Board of Directors from the late-1980s through the conclusion of the 2014 AGM on April 24, 2015.

But Marian’s dedication to Canadian culture extends well beyond Access Copyright. It includes her time in publishing, her copyright-law practice, her work representing and protecting the interests of countless Canadian writers, visual artists and photographers, and her service as legal counsel to national creator organizations such as the Writers’ Union of Canada.

To commemorate Marian’s record of service to Canadian culture, the Access Copyright Board of Directors unanimously recommended to the Access Copyright Foundation that its’ research grant be renamed in Marian’s honour. The Foundation agreed and the grant will henceforth be known as the Marian Hebb Research Grant, awarded annually in support of inquiry and exploration relevant to Canadian publishing, writing and visual arts.

All photos by Patrick Moher.