NEWS RELEASE

STUDY OF BILL C-32, AN ACT TO AMEND THE COPYRIGHT ACT

Ottawa, December 06, 2010 -

On Friday, November 5, 2010, the House of Commons adopted a motion that Bill C-32, An Act to amend the Copyright Act, be read a second time and referred to a legislative committee. The Legislative Committee on Bill C-32 (CC32) started its study of the bill on November 23, 2010.

Bill C-32 adds new rights and exceptions to the Copyright Act. As noted in the bill’s summary, its objectives are as follows:

update the rights and protections of copyright owners to better address the challenges and opportunities of the Internet, so as to be in line with international standards;

clarify Internet service providers’ liability and make the enabling of online copyright infringement itself an infringement of copyright;

permit businesses, educators and libraries to make greater use of copyright material in digital form;

allow educators and students to make greater use of copyright material;

permit certain uses of copyright material by consumers;

give photographers the same rights as other creators;

ensure that the Copyright Act remains technologically neutral; and

mandate a review of the Copyright Act by Parliament every five years.

The Committee believes that it is important to hear from Canadians on this topic. The Committee will be meeting with various stakeholders affected by copyright reform, including authors, artists, musicians, record labels, book publishers, collective societies, libraries, museums, school associations, software developers, retailers and consumers.

The Committee will also be accepting briefs on this topic from groups and individuals who will not have the opportunity to appear before the Committee. The Committee welcomes briefs on the objectives and subject matter of Bill C-32. If a brief proposes amendments to clauses in the bill, draft alternative language should be included if possible.

In order for briefs on Bill C-32 to be considered by the Committee in a timely fashion, the document should be submitted to the Committee’s mailbox at CC32@parl.gc.ca by the end of January, 2011. A brief which is longer than 5 pages should be accompanied by a 1 page executive summary and in any event should not exceed 10 pages in length.

The Legislative Committee on Bill C-32 (CC32) is composed of 12 parliamentarians representing four political parties. It is chaired by Gordon Brown, M.P. for Leeds-Grenville (Ontario).

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For more information, please contact:

Michelle Tittley, Clerk of the Legislative Committee on Bill C-32

Tel: 613-947-1971

E-mail: CC32@parl.gc.ca