Canada’s private broadcasters are encouraging the federal government to create a ‘Digital Copyright Competitive Advantage’ for Canadian businesses and creators by introducing copyright legislation that creates a predictable and technologically advanced framework. This will support growth in Canadian media services.

In a formal submission to the federal government’s consultation process on copyright reform, the CAB called on the government to update Canada’s copyright legislation to ensure businesses are not excessively encumbered in the fast-moving digital media environment.

“Private broadcasters recommend that the comprehensive review of the copyright legislation proceed immediately to allow the media industry to function effectively in the digital economy,” said Margot Patterson, CAB General Counsel and Vice President, Legal Affairs. “CAB member companies have asked for a more stable regime, so that private broadcasters don’t have to face unpredictable and increasing layers of costs and rights clearance, particularly at a time when their focus must be on remaining innovative as content providers in the digital economy” stated Ms. Patterson.

The two core recommendations in the CAB submission are:

• that broadcasters not be forced to pay multiple copyright fees for incidental acts such as backing up their digital servers and making copies of the music files stored on those servers; and
  
  
• that along with new legislation, the federal government should overhaul the way that copyright is administered in order to strike the right balance between seamless access to content and fair payment to the owners of that content.
  

The CAB recommendations are aimed at creating a ‘Digital Copyright Competitive Advantage’ that will work for Canadians, the media industry and creators. The CAB considers that this will create clear and predictable rules that allow broadcasters to continue doing what they have been doing for decades – providing consumers with access to the best content Canada and the world have to offer.

About the Canadian Association of Broadcasters
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) is the national voice of Canada’s private broadcasters, representing the vast majority of Canadian programming services, including private radio and television stations, networks, specialty, pay and pay-per-view services.

We are the voice and choice of Canadians. Private radio and television services enjoy by far the largest share of the market, and Canadian programming broadcast by those services attracts the predominant share of the total audience for Canadian content.