CIPPIC receives grant for work on copyright reform

CIPPIC has received a grant of $30,000 from the Beal Fund of the Triangle Community Foundation, for public interest research and analysis of digital copyright law reform issues. The Beal Fund is a philanthropic initiative of Bob Young, co-founder of Red Hat, a leading open-source software company, and current owner of the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger Cats. This donation enables CIPPIC to work more closely and effectively with other public interest groups to ensure that Parliament hears all sides of these important issues, not just from select stakeholders. The grant is particularly timely given the recent introduction of Bill C-60, an omnibus copyright reform bill that dramatically increases the rights of copyright owners while doing little to address education and user interests. The Beal Fund grant has been matched by the Ontario Research Network for Electronic Commerce (ORNEC), which also provided start-up funding for CIPPIC.