Keeping up the pace

Who says November is the most boring month of the year? Not Copibec! Here’s an overview of recent and upcoming developments.

Executive Director’s update

It’s been another month of intense activity and major changes for the Copibec team. Last month, we told you about our move to new premises on Sherbrooke Street in downtown Montreal and the addition of new team members. These disruptions have had a destabilizing impact to some degree. Fortunately, we’re now back on track and fully prepared to meet the challenges that await us!

Université Laval

After a few weeks’ wait, the out-of-court settlement agreement between Copibec and Université Laval was approved by Justice Simon Hébert of the Quebec Superior Court on November 13. We’re pleased with this agreement that meets the university community’s needs and respects copyright owners’ rights. We’re ready to move on to the next stage!

Education sector royalty payment

In the coming weeks, millions of dollars in royalties will be paid out to creators, authors and publishers. Thanks to the teachers in elementary and high schools and the professors and other personnel in CEGEPs and universities who take the time every year to help us gather data on copyright-protected content, we compiled thousands of copy log entries so we can compensate copyright owners fairly.

Remuneration model for creators

On November 29, I will be in Ottawa to appear before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. As part of the Copyright Act review, the Committee will examine the best remuneration models for artists and creative industries in the context of copyright. As Copibec’s Executive Director, I intend to highlight the efficiency and flexibility of collective licensing in the digital era.

Make sure you don’t miss anything about the upcoming payment and the Université Laval settlement by following us on Facebook and Twitter. And of course, the best way to stay up to date on Copibec news is to subscribe to our newsletter!

Copyright here and everywhere

Author incomes in steep decline

According to a study done last spring, Canadian writers are now earning nearly 30% less than they were three years ago. At Access Copyright, which is responsible for collective licensing outside Quebec, the reduction in royalty payments has been close to 42%.

Read the press release from the Writers’ Union of Canada or the article in French from Radio-Canada.

YouTube fighting against European copyright directive

European copyright reform, whose goal is to ensure fairer compensation for creators when their content is used online, is not receiving unanimous support. YouTube’s CEO, Susan Wojcicki, is encouraging YouTubers to protest the new copyright directive in their social media posts. She said the directive could affect both the platform’s creators and users.

Read the article in French from La Presse.

Sharp increase in global royalties paid to creators

At the global level, the situation is improving for creators in the arts and culture sectors as a whole. Between 2016 and 2017, copyright royalties collected were up by 6.2%, mainly because of digital content use and distribution. In the literature sector, the increase was concentrated in a few Northern European countries such as Finland, together with the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and Australia!

Read the article in French from Actualitté.

Copibec and Université Laval resolve their legal dispute over copyright

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Copibec and Université Laval resolve their legal dispute over copyright

Quebec City, November 13, (...)

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