Library Boy: Library of Parliament Legislative Summary of Copyright Modernization Act

The Library of Parliament has prepared a legislative summary of Bill C-11: An Act to amend the Copyright Act:

"Bill C-11, An Act to amend the Copyright Act, was introduced in the House of Commons by the Minister of Industry, the Honourable Christian Paradis, and received first reading on 29 September 2011. The bill is a reintroduction of Bill C-32, which was introduced in the 3^rd Session of the 40^th Parliament. Bill C-32 had received second reading and had been referred to a legislative committee of the House of Commons which heard witness testimony on the bill until the 40^th Parliament was dissolved in March 2011."

"The bill adds new rights and exceptions to the Copyright Act. As noted in the bill’s summary, the objectives of Bill C-11 are to:

update the rights and protections of copyright owners to better address the challenges and opportunities of the Internet, so as to be in line with international standards;
clarify Internet service providers’ liability and make the enabling of online copyright infringement itself an infringement of copyright;
permit businesses, educators and libraries to make greater use of copyright material in digital form;
allow educators and students to make greater use of copyright material;
permit certain uses of copyright material by consumers;
give photographers the same rights as other creators;
ensure that [the Copyright Act] remains technologically neutral; and
mandates a review of [the Copyright Act] by Parliament every five years."

"Whether the bill will achieve these objectives is a subject of debate amongst the various stakeholders affected by copyright reform, including authors, artists, musicians, record labels, book publishers, collective societies, libraries, museums, school associations, software developers, retailers, and consumers."