Copright Amendment Bill: Jekyll and Hyde

The government of Canada has introduced its long-awaited amendments to the Copyright Act.  Bill C-32, the Copyright Modernization Act, is a mix, imposing US-style anticircumvention laws while also introducing long-awaited user rights for things like time shifting and format shifting, a non-commercial user-generated content exception, and an extension of fair dealing to parody and satire and educational dealings.  Unfortunately, the Bill also pulls these user rights back in the presence of a digital lock.  The bill also addresses ISP liability and search engine liability, providing what a notice-and-notice scheme.  All in all, the bill is a Jekyll and Hyde - flawed, but fixable.

•  Copyright Modernization Act
• Industry Canada Media Release