Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology

Comité permanent de l'industrie, des sciences et de la technologie

For immediate release

Ottawa, June 03, 2019 -

On 3 June 2019, the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology presented its Sixteenth Report in the House of Commons, on the Statutory Review of the Copyright Act. The Committee consulted a broad range of stakeholders to ensure all perspectives were duly considered: it held 52 meetings, heard 263 witnesses, collected 192 briefs, and received more than 6,000 emails and other correspondence.

The report makes 36 recommendations. It includes recommendations aiming at reducing the opaqueness of copyright law, notably by gathering authoritative information on its impact on Canadian creators and creative industries, increasing the transparency of the collective administration of rights, and simplifying the Copyright Act. The Committee recommends improving the bargaining power of Canadian creators by granting them a termination right while mitigating its impact on copyright markets. It also proposes to sensibly update enforcement mechanisms, starting with statutory damages for rights-holders and remedies available to collective societies. The recommendations address site-blocking proposals and their potential impact on the form and function of Internet, and assert that online service providers such as Google and Facebook must fully comply with legislation to the benefit of both rights-holders and users. The report also recommends a way forward to protect traditional and cultural expressions

The report is available on the Committee's web site.