About

On September 29, 2011, the government re-tabled the Copyright Modernization Act, the long-awaited copyright reform bill. Bill C-11 contains some good provisions - extending fair dealing to parody, satire, and education, including technology-neutral time shifting and format shifting provisions, establishing a safe harbour for Internet intermediaries, and making some small changes to damages provisions. Yet all the attempts at balance come with a giant caveat that has huge implications for millions of Canadians. The foundational principle of the new bill remains that anytime a digital lock is used - whether on books, movies, music, or electronic devices - the lock trumps virtually all other rights.

Professor Michael Geist of the University of Ottawa established SpeakOutOnCopyright.ca in 2009 as platform to allow Canadians to become better educated about copyright policy and to ensure that their voice is heard as part of a national copyright consultation. SpeakOutOnCopyright.ca is designed to give people information and tools to participate in the copyright reform process. The site includes dozens of posts and videos on Canadian copyright law, links to additional resources, and a Take Action page that highlights the ways individual Canadians can speak out on copyright.

I re-launched SpeakOutOnCopyright.ca as a platform to give people information and tools to speak out in support of the balanced provisions and to fix the problematic digital lock rules. The site includes information on Bill C-11, dozens of posts and videos on Canadian copyright law, and a Take Action page that highlights the ways individual Canadians can speak out on copyright.

Interest in digital policy has grown dramatically in recent years as copyright, net neutrality, privacy, and a host of other Internet issues move onto the government’s agenda. As the government embarks on new legislation, it is essential that all interested Canadians make their voice heard. SpeakOutOnCopyright.ca does not tell Canadians precisely what to say, but rather provides a mechanism to allow them to become better informed so that they can provide politicians and policy makers with insightful commentary. In addition to background information on digital policy issues, the site offers tools to make it easy for people to communicate their views to government and to spread the word to friends and colleagues. The site is politically neutral, adopting the position that most digital policy issues are non-partisan.