Canada Bolsters Copyright Act

The Canadian government says it is proposing amendments to the country’s Copyright Act, which should provide more protection to musicians as well as authors and photographers in the digital age.

According to the Minister of Industry and the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the country expects to implement the copyright protections of the 1996 World Intellectual Property Organization treaties.

The legislation was signed in 1997 but never ratified.

The amendments include providing musicians the right to control whether their recordings can be provided to the Internet, full reproduction rights, and the moral rights in their fixed and live performances.

“We are pleased to have this opportunity to show Canadians how we intend to build a copyright framework for the 21st century,” Minister of Canadian Heritage Liza Frulla said. “We must strengthen the hand of our creators and cultural industries against the unauthorized use of their works on the Internet.”