As part of Bill C-86, the Budget Implementation Act,
the Federal Government has introduced sweeping changes to Part VII
of the Copyright Act, which governs the operation of the
Copyright Board of Canada and the collective management of
copyright. These changes are intended to speed up the Board's
decision-making processes, reduce the extent to which copyright
royalties are applied retroactively, and harmonize the various
collective management regimes in the Copyright Act.
However, the changes will result in a dramatic shift in
Canada's approach to regulating the copyright fees paid for the
public performance and communication to the public by
telecommunication of both live and recorded music.
