streamlina
May 18th, 2004, 04:08 PM
(Toronto) - Canada’s recording industry is praising a House of Commons committee report that calls for an immediate overhaul of Canada’s copyright law. Today in Ottawa, the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage tabled in the House of Commons its Interim Report on Copyright Reform. The report gave clear direction to the government on a number of previously unresolved issues. Most importantly, the Committee recommended that legislation to update the Copyright Act be introduced in Parliament by November 2004.
"We commend Committee Chair Sam Bulte and the other Heritage Committee members on making decisions in a few weeks that the departments of Canadian Heritage and Industry Canada couldn’t make in several years," remarked Brian Robertson, President, Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA).
"We are calling on the Minister of Canadian Heritage to ensure immediate adoption of the Committee’s recommendations," said Mr. Robertson.
"The Prime Minister told us at last month’s Juno Awards in Edmonton that he was not going to let the music industry be jeopardized, and he pointed to the Committee’s work," continued Mr. Robertson. "The Minister of Canadian Heritage also stated her intention to make changes to the Copyright Act a priority. Now is clearly the time for the government to get on with modernizing the law – particularly in light of recent news that Canada has now been embarrassingly placed on a Special 301 Watch List by the US government for its lack of action on copyright reform including ratification of the WIPO treaties," he concluded.
The WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) treaties will make it easier for traditional copyrighted materials like music, literature, art, audiovisual materials and software to be accessed legally on the Internet. Forty-four other countries have introduced such laws. In 1997, Canada agreed to ratify the treaties by changing its Copyright Act.
"We commend Committee Chair Sam Bulte and the other Heritage Committee members on making decisions in a few weeks that the departments of Canadian Heritage and Industry Canada couldn’t make in several years," remarked Brian Robertson, President, Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA).
"We are calling on the Minister of Canadian Heritage to ensure immediate adoption of the Committee’s recommendations," said Mr. Robertson.
"The Prime Minister told us at last month’s Juno Awards in Edmonton that he was not going to let the music industry be jeopardized, and he pointed to the Committee’s work," continued Mr. Robertson. "The Minister of Canadian Heritage also stated her intention to make changes to the Copyright Act a priority. Now is clearly the time for the government to get on with modernizing the law – particularly in light of recent news that Canada has now been embarrassingly placed on a Special 301 Watch List by the US government for its lack of action on copyright reform including ratification of the WIPO treaties," he concluded.
The WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) treaties will make it easier for traditional copyrighted materials like music, literature, art, audiovisual materials and software to be accessed legally on the Internet. Forty-four other countries have introduced such laws. In 1997, Canada agreed to ratify the treaties by changing its Copyright Act.