The Conservative government’s Bill C-32, the Copyright Modernization Act is a “common sense, balanced approach” to amending Canada’s copyright legislation, a coalition of major telecommunications, retail, Internet and technology companies said Thursday. 

On Wednesday, the Conservative government introduced Bill C-32, An Act to amend the Copyright Act.

The Business Coalition for Balanced Copyright (BCBC)—whose members include the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, Bell Canada, Google, Rogers Communications Inc., and Telus Corp.--said in a release that the proposed amendments are a step forward and that they reflect a balance between the interests of consumers and content creators and distributors.

The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) also welcomed C-32, saying the bill amends fair dealing for educational purposes.

But both the BCBC and the AUCC did not wholly endorse the bill.

“BCBC members agree that some parts of the legislation unfairly restrict consumer freedom and need to be revised before being passed by Parliament such as the inability to circumvent digital locks for private use,” the coalition’s release said. 

The AUCC also said it is concerned with the bill’s “overly strict” prohibition against the circumvention of digital rights management.

In a release, the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) said it “fails to see the balance” of the proposed legislation. The guild argues the bill gives consumers too many freedoms at the expense of the creators.

“The WGC has long recommended a system modelled on the private copying regime that would provide those uses while generating royalties through collective licensing. This bill rightly legalizes many commonplace consumer uses, but it undercuts artists’ ability to be paid for them,” the WGC’s release said.

But the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE) said in a release that the bill was balanced, and will bring Canada in line with other industrialized countries. 

Contact Ryan O'Neill at 613-232-5952 ext. 222 or roneill@thewirereport.ca
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