Montreal, September 30, 2024 – Copibec is delighted to welcome, from today until October 3, a delegation of 150 members from 80 countries around the world to the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisation (IFRRO) World Congress, held for the very first time in Quebec and Canada.
On the occasion of this international event, Copibec calls on the Government of Canada to act now by fulfilling its commitment to implement reform for the Copyright Act, formulated notably in the 2021 mandate letters from the Ministers of Canadian Heritage and Innovation, Science and Industry, as well as in the 2022 federal budget.
Copibec also wishes to reiterate that a reform of the Copyright Act in Canada, which this year celebrates the 100th anniversary of its coming into force, has been a persistent demand of the literary community since 2012, and must be realized now.
“The copyright ecosystem has evolved considerably over the past 100 years, and Canada must continue to equip itself with the tools needed to adapt to current realities. With this in mind, holding the IFRRO in Canada is an opportunity to demonstrate our leadership in copyright and to serve as an example for the delegation. This cannot be another missed opportunity to modernize the Copyright Act,” says Christian Laforce Copibec’s Executive Director.
“We are delighted to be hosting the IFRRO World Congress, which gives us the opportunity to draw on international expertise and discuss issues that affect all asset management companies,” adds Lise Létourneau, President of Copibec.
A transparent policy for artificial intelligence
We wish to remind our elected representatives and civil servants of the negative economic and cultural implications of introducing a new exception. We demand transparency to protect our creators and ensure the survival of our industry. We must counter the imbalance of power between the AI industry and our creators and publishers.
Copibec, which is also a member of the Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (CDCE), thus opposes the introduction of a new exception to copyright concerning text and data mining to favor the AI giants.
A new podcast from Copibec
Copibec is proud to have been selected by Commemoration Canada to create a series of podcasts entitled “Copyright Act: A Century of Stories”, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the coming into force of the Copyright Act in Canada. Launched on September 20, the series is available on Copibec’s website, as well as on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and the Savoir média platform, and brings together a variety of experts from the copyright community, including writers, publishers, visual artists and jurists.
This project was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Government of Canada and the Caisse de la Culture Desjardins.
About Copibec
Copibec is Quebec’s collective management society for reproduction rights, representing more than 30,000 authors and over 1,400 publishing houses. Founded in 1997, it facilitates legal access to a vast repertoire of works protected by the Copyright Act through a licensing service. Internationally, the collective has signed agreements with 33 foreign societies, enabling it to manage the rights of millions of foreign publications. Its members include UNEQ, ANEL, RAAV, AJIQ, FPQJ, SODEP, Quotidiens du Québec and Hebdos du Québec.
About the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisation (IFRRO)
The International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisation (IFRRO) is the leading international body bringing together members of the print and publishing copyright community. It is an international, independent, and not-for-profit organization at the heart of rights management aimed at increasing the lawful use of copyrighted textual and iconographic works and eliminating unauthorized copying by promoting effective collective rights management through Reproduction Rights Organizations (RROs), complementing the own activities of creators and publishers.
Highlights
• Copibec welcomes a delegation of 150 members from 80 countries around the world to the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisation (IFRRO) World Congress, held for the very first time in Quebec and Canada.
• Copibec wishes to reiterate that reform of the Canadian Copyright Act, which this year celebrates the 100th anniversary of its coming into force, has been a persistent demand of the literary community since 2012, and must be achieved now.
• Copibec is calling on the Government of Canada to act now and honour its commitment to implement the promised reform to the Copyright Act.
• This promised reform was notably formulated in mandate letters from the Ministers of Canadian Heritage and Innovation, Science and Economic Development in 2021, as well as in the 2022 federal budget.
• Copibec opposes the introduction of a new exception to copyright concerning text and data mining to favor AI giants.
• Copibec is proud to have been selected by Commemoration Canada to create a series of podcasts celebrating the 100th anniversary of the coming into force of the Copyright Act in Canada.
• The podcast series, launched on September 20, is available on the Copibec website, as well as on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and the Savoir média platform.
• This podcast series brings together various specialists in the field of copyright, including writers, publishers, journalists, visual artists, and jurists.
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Source
Catherine Mercier
Communications Officer
c.mercier@copibec.ca
514 288-1664
Media requests
Alexandre Lessard-Martin
alexandre.lessard-martin@paainc.ca
514 805-1425