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ARTICLE · 04 JUNE 2013

Canada's Long-Awaited Copyright Modernization Takes

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To much fanfare and after years of debate and consultation, the government of Canada passed the most important reforms to Canadian copyright law in several generations.

United StatesIntellectual Property
Paul Bain
Paul Bain
Christopher Graham
Christopher Graham
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To much fanfare and after years of debate and consultation, the government of Canada passed the most important reforms to Canadian copyright law in several generations. The Copyright Modernization Act (the "CMA") became law on November 7, 2012, with a stated policy of striking "the right balance between the needs of creators and users".

In addition to bringing Canadian copyright law into compliance with two World Intellectual Property Organization ("WIPO") treaties to which Canada is a signatory (the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty), the CMA brings Canada's copyright laws into the 21st Century, recognizing technological advances since the last changes to the Copyright Act in 1997. The changes are wide-ranging and significant.

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