Likely still role for CSCC-type organization: Potts

The Canadian Society of Copyright Consumers (CSCC) is closing its doors after nearly 80 years in operation. The organization filed to surrender its charter with Industry Canada late last year. The organization, says executive VP and the group’s sustaining organizer Lyman Potts, has found its role increasingly co-opted by in-house counsel in ongoing copyright debates, and it has become increasingly difficult to fund. Potts, now retired at 88 years old, says he’s sorry to see the organization fold, and that there’s likely a continuing role for a broad-based association that has protecting Canadian’s fair use of copyright material at heart. However, he says, resources are scarce. "This was mostly a voluntary group," says Potts – an Order of Canada winning broadcaster and copyright activist who sat on the old Copyright Appeal Board. "I never got over that. When we got to the end of the line, I couldn’t find anyone who wanted to work for nothing." The raison d’etre of the organization was also recently less important as copyright issues were professionalized over the years. "Bear in mind that in the beginning there were few lawyers who were highly skilled in copyright. In other words, everyone couldn’t afford to have a copyright lawyer. And, really, this led to the, you might say, demise of the Canadian Society of Copyright Consumers. Today, nearly all of the principals have a staff of lawyers dealing with copyright. As you probably know, the (Canadian Association of Broadcasters has) got about three or four, now, when they used to have one, and before that none." Broadcasters and theatres were traditionally the best-represented members of the society. Notwithstanding that, however, he says he’d welcome a move to create a similar organization with similar aims. "Actually, there should be a national office to represent the copyright users of Canada, and subscribed to by people who are going to benefit by the efforts of such an organization," Potts tells Canadian NEW MEDIA. "But, to get the funds is something else, again. This was often spoken of, but nobody would come forward and say, ‘here, let’s go.’ What we would do, of course, is if we hired a lawyer to write a brief to a committee or something like that, or to, say, the copyright board or a political organization, we’d pass the hat around if there wasn’t enough money in the till."

Likely still role for CSCC-type organization: Potts

News | 01/20/2005 5:00 am EST

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