The Copyright Modernization Act: Canada’s New Rights And Rules

Background

The Copyright Modernization Act has been the subject of a great deal of attention and debate over issues such as "digital locks", "users' rights", and whether and how Canada is keeping up with other countries in protecting copyright.

Rapid advances in the use of digital media to access, use, share, and copy works led to increased pressure to overhaul Canada's copyright legislation, which has not been significantly revised since the last general amendments in 1997. Over the years, the government has conducted various stakeholder consultations and put forward four separate bills, all with the intention of better aligning Canada's legislation with the international standards set forth in two 1996 World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) treaties, and with the evolving digital environment.