Great news from Canada – Aotearoa NZ Government Please take Note
On behalf of creators and publishers, Access Copyright is gratified to see the federal government commit in this year’s federal budget to amend the Copyright Act to ensure fair compensation for creators and copyright holders as part of a sustainable educational publishing marketplace.
For over a decade, creators and publishers from across Canada have been denied payment when their work is copied in schools outside Quebec, which has brought the industry to its knees. Ten years is an impossibly long time to wait to be paid and our creators and publishers can’t hold on any longer. In recent months, they have been calling on the federal government to take urgent legislative action to ensure that they stand by their promise to protect creators’ livelihoods and amend the Copyright Act.
Yesterday’s federal budget is a heartening sign that this call has been heard.
Currently, schools and post-secondary institutions outside of Quebec copy over 600 million pages from books, newspapers, and magazines for free each year at the expense of our nation’s creators, publishers, and cultural industries.
If creators are not paid when their work is copied, there will be fewer books available in our classrooms and a greater likelihood that Canadian students will learn from materials created outside of Canada.
“On behalf of the creators and publishers we represent, we would like to thank Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez and Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne for ensuring a commitment to amend Canada’s Copyright Act was included in yesterday’s federal budget,” said Roanie Levy, President & CEO of Access Copyright. “It is absolutely critical that they put forward legislation as soon as possible so that our nation’s creators and publishers can continue to create the stories that offer the world a window into the hearts, minds, and creative excellence of Canadians.”
Access Copyright looks forward to working closely with Ministers Rodriguez and Champagne as they work to implement the necessary amendments to our Copyright Act.
About Access Copyright
For over 30 years, Access Copyright has facilitated content use for educational and professional purposes. Access Copyright has helped people make customized use of published materials combined with an assurance that the original creators and publishers also benefit, so that they can continue creating new and innovative works. This is vitally important to a strong Canadian culture and to all who rely on quality publications.
