IP Year In Review – Copyright

Article by Antonio Turco, ©2005 Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

This article was originally published in Blakes Bulletin on Intellectual Property, December 2005.

2005 was another interesting year for copyright law in Canada. The year brought the promise of proposed amendments to the Copyright Act and a decision of the Federal Court of Appeal related to music file sharing. As well, the Supreme Court of Canada is hearing an appeal in a case involving electronic publishing.

Legislative Developments

Bill C-60. In June, the Federal government introduced Bill C-60, under the title An Act to Amend the Copyright Act. Bill C-60 embodied many of the proposed amendments identified in the Government Statement on Proposals for Copyright Reform and claims to fulfill the Canadian Government’s commitment to address short-term copyright reform issues (see Copyright Reform Legislation Introduced, Blakes Bulletin on Intellectual Property, October 2005). Bill C-60 is the first in what is likely