Renewed push for copyright

While the mobilization for a balanced Copyright Act continues, we’re preparing Copibec’s next lump sum payment and saying goodbye to a member of our team. In Europe, the bill to reform copyright has been passed, which is a plus for copyright.

Executive Director’s update

Spring has finally arrived and our team remains very involved in defending copyright. Drawing on the energy from the book fairs we attended in Trois-Rivières and Quebec City, we’re continuing to mobilize authors, creators and publishers about the Copyright Act revision by working with 16 arts and culture organizations and associations to launch a new advocacy initiative under the theme A Life Without Art? Really?.

Three videos showing how empty daily life would be without art were shared on social media. A life without art is a catastrophic scenario for sure, but it shows how important it is to protect our arts and culture sector by making sure we can once again count on a balanced Copyright Act. You can support copyright by sharing the videos and signing the manifesto.

Turning our attention to royalty distributions, it’s now time for freelance writers to follow the visual artists by updating their accounts in preparation for the next lump sum (repertoire) payment. Whether you’re a freelance writer, poet or journalist, your content published in cultural, news or scientific periodicals and newspapers in Quebec could earn you royalties. And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter so you’ll be sure to stay informed.

We recently welcomed a new employee: Arezki Raab. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and has joined our Business and Government team as a sales representative. Welcome to Copibec!

And it’s with a heavy heart that we have to say au revoir to Rose-Marie Lafrance, our Education Director. Rose-Marie, who has witnessed every stage of Copibec’s development since it was created in 1997, will be leaving to start the next chapter of her life on the shores of the St. Lawrence River. We’d like to wish her all the best.

Frédérique Couette
Executive Director

Copyright news from Canada and beyond

Canada has fallen behind on digital taxation

The Coalition for Culture and Media has criticized the federal government for its inaction when it comes to the digital economy and its hesitation in applying GST/HST to foreign digital goods and services. This inertia has direct impacts on Canadian creators who are battling against unfair competition and are being penalized while foreign giants such as Netflix make gains.

Read the press release (in French) from the Coalition for Culture and Media.

European copyright reform bill has passed

The bill to reform copyright in Europe was passed during a final vote by European Union ministers last month. The countries affected will have 24 months to implement the new rules in their jurisdictions after they have been published in the EU’s Official Journal.

Read the article (in French) in Le Devoir.

Creators mobilizing for a balanced Copyright Act

Our efforts at the Quebec City international book fair attracted a lot of attention. Many authors and publishers took a stand by displaying their support for a balanced Copyright Act. It was a good reminder that all work deserves to be compensated, including the use of creative content.

Read the article (in French) in Le Soleil.

Publishers: Upcoming lump sum payment for books

This fall, Copibec will be making a lump sum (repertoire) payment for books. Publishers who have given us authority to manage their rights will therefore be paid an amount for each eligible title registered in our repertoire.

If you’re a publisher, we’ll be contacting you very soon to ask you to update your catalogue.

Do all books qualify for the payment?

To qualify for the payment, all your titles must be registered and completed by June 30, 2019. Books are eligible if they were published between 2006 and 2017.

Other conditions apply. Complete details will be provided in the letter that will be sent to you this week.

Register your titles

To log into your account, go to the Log in section of our website and select My publications in the menu on the left. You can then update the titles already registered and/or add new titles.

What if you don’t already have an online account or you have questions about how to update your account? Please email us at [email protected].

Is your address up to date?

Make sure you’ll receive your payment without any problems by checking the contact info entered for your account. Simply log into your online account and update your address if necessary.

Thank you, Steve Adams!

Following the launch of the campaign A Life Without Art? Really?, the Copibec team very much appreciated the artwork that Steve Adams created (above) and shared on social media in recent weeks.

He used his own valuable time to create this illustration and encourage his community to sign the manifesto.

We really need art in our lives. But even more than that, we need artists like Steve who are a creative source. Thank you, Steve Adams!

Freelance writers: It’s time to update your account !

Every two years, Copibec makes a lump sum (repertoire) payment to freelance writers. The next payment will be distributed this spring. The content you created for cultural, news and science (...)

Au revoir, Rose-Marie

The Copibec team is losing a key figure with the departure of Rose-Marie Lafrance, our Director – Education. After defending copyright for more than 30 years, she’ll be starting a new chapter (...)