AUCC welcomes new copyright bill

OTTAWA, June 3, 2010 — The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada welcomes the federal government’s efforts to modernize the current copyright law. The proposed legislation strikes a fair balance between creators and users of copyright works and will facilitate online learning.

“We are very pleased that the bill amends the fair dealing provision to include the purpose of education,” said Paul Davidson, president and CEO of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. “The bill contains many of the changes the university community suggested during the government’s public consultations last summer such as an exception for educational use of Internet materials that will permit educators and students to use publicly available Internet materials while teaching and learning.”

Canadian universities also welcome educational amendments that will allow the presentation of films in the classroom and the recording of lessons that can be made available for viewing by students at the time of their choosing. They also endorse the approach taken to limiting the liability of Internet Service Providers, including universities.

“Professors and students at Canadian universities are both creators and users of copyright works,” said Mr. Davidson. “Canadian universities recognize the importance of balance between the desire of creators to receive fair remuneration for the use of their works and the public interest in being able to use information for purposes such as research and education. This copyright law will result in a fairer treatment for both parties.”

However, AUCC is concerned about the overly strict prohibition against circumventing the technical measures used to protect works in digital format. We fear that this prohibition will diminish users’ rights that are an integral part of the proper balance in copyright law.

AUCC will be studying the bill in more detail and looks forward to expressing its views on the proposed legislation during hearings of the House of Commons Industry Committee. In the meantime, we will draw to the government’s attention the areas of the bill which we feel require amendment to ensure appropriate balance in the legislation.

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The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada is the voice of Canada’s universities. It represents 95 Canadian public and private not-for profit universities and university-degree level colleges.

For additional information on this release and AUCC, please contact:

Lyse Huot
Director, Government Relations and Communications
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada