This week, the Government introduced Bill C-61, an Act to amend the Copyright Act. The Government is proud to have put forward a unique, made-in-Canada approach that balances the needs of Canadian consumers and copyright owners, promoting culture, innovation and competition in the digital age.

We tabled Bill C-61 before the summer so users and creators could take the time to become fully acquainted with the legislation. I wanted to take the opportunity to clear up some of the misconceptions about what this bill means for Canadians. Some have claimed that C-61 is a mirror image of U.S. copyright laws, but nothing could be further from the truth. Our Bill is made-in-Canada with different exceptions for educators, consumers and others and brings us into line with more than 60 countries including Japan, France, Germany and Australia. The educational exemption, the time shifting, the statutory damages provisions, the private copying of music exemption, the internet service provider liability provisions are all made in Canada.

This Bill means that Canada is finally bringing into force the commitments we made in Geneva on December 20, 1996 when Canada signed on to the World Intellectual Properties Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty (WCT)and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT). We are fulfilling our international promises to align with the principles of those treaties. 65 Countries signed on to the WCT. To date, 39 countries have put the treaty into force. Canada hast not. Countries like Albania, Bahrain, Indonesia, etc., all have, but Canada has not.

So, what does Bill C-61 mean to Canadians?

Specifically, it includes measures that would:
expressly allow you to record TV shows for later viewing; copy legally purchased music onto other devices, such as MP3 players or cell phones; make back-up copies of legally purchased books, newspapers, videocassettes and photographs onto devices you own; and limit the “statutory damages” a court could award for all private use copyright infringements;
implement new rights and protections for copyright holders, tailored to the Internet, to encourage participation in the online economy, as well as stronger legal remedies to address Internet piracy
clarify the roles and responsibilities of Internet Service Providers related to the copyright content flowing over their network facilities
provide photographers with the same rights as other creators

For more information, please visit the Copyright Reform Process website at www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/crp-prda.nsf/en/home