^{Please note that this article, published in 2017, may contain out-of-date information.}

PRESS RELEASE

Montreal, June 21, 2022 – Copibec celebrates 25 years of existence and begins a new chapter in its history. To mark the occasion, representatives of the book and publishing community gathered together for a happy hour at the Archives nationales du Québec building in Montreal.

The celebration of the struggles and battles waged by the organization dedicated to the collective management of reproduction rights and the defense of copyright was preceded by the annual general meeting. The organization’s members were able to take stock of its progress over the past year, read its annual report and elect a new Board of Directors. The Board also appointed Mélissa Verreault as President.

“I’m delighted to be taking over the reins of Copibec’s Board of Directors. As you all know, defending copyright is a constant battle, especially this year with the announcements made by the federal government in its latest budget, proposing changes to strengthen the protection of creators and rights-holders, and to ensure that they are fairly remunerated”, says Mélissa Verreault.

 

The Copibec team would like to thank its partners, without whom today’s party and upcoming 25^th anniversary events would not be possible: Caisse de la culture Desjardins, Hector solutions d’affaires inc. and Céline Coutu, Advisor, Desjardins Securities.

A little history

In November 1997, Louis Gauthier, then President of UNEQ, and Antoine del Busso, President of ANEL, signed the agreement that gave birth to Copibec. The following spring, the new company began operations on rue Saint-Denis. It could count on a small core of employees and the first modules of a computerized management system, which was only just being developed.

Since then, Copibec has managed over 600 reproduction licenses negotiated with various partners: ministries, universities, CEGEPs, professional associations, private companies, non-profit organizations, and more. Every year, thousands of titles are added to its repertoire, and thousands of authors of novels and textbooks, freelance journalists, science writers, playwrights, translators, illustrators and publishers receive royalties for the reproduction of their texts or images.

From the solid foundations laid by UNEQ, collective management has come a long way. The pooling of resources is now reflected in the development of new projects and new services for rights holders and users alike. With its platform SAMUEL, Copibec and its publishing partners are innovating by making a wide variety of documents available to teachers in digital format.

Over the past 25 years, Copibec has donated more than $245 million to authors and publishers.

About Copibec
Copibec is a non-profit social economy enterprise specializing in copyright management. It represents over 30,000 authors and 1,300 publishing houses. It offers users of copyright-protected material simple solutions tailored to their needs. Internationally, the collective has signed agreements with over 33 foreign societies to include books, newspapers and magazines from these countries in its repertoire. Its members include UNEQ, ANEL, RAAV, AJIQ, FPQJ, SODEP, Quotidiens du Québec and Hebdos du Québec. 

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Source
Éric Bolduc, Marketing Agent
e.bolduc@copibec.ca
514 288-1664 ext. 239