Revisions to Copyright Act Support Canadian Innovation and Creativity, Business Leaders Say

June 12, 2008

Long-overdue amendments to Canada’s Copyright Act introduced today strengthen Canada’s protection of intellectual property while giving families, schools and libraries more flexibility to make use of new technologies, says the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE).

The Copyright Act was last revised when the internet was in its infancy, and badly needs updating to reflect the impact of new technologies on business practices and daily life, said CCCE Executive Vice President David Stewart-Patterson.  “These changes will support the creative energy of Canadians by creating a clear legal framework to allow copyright owners to protect their property from online pirates.”

Mr. Stewart-Patterson said that the proposed amendments will bring Canada’s rules into line with the rest of the industrialized world and will help Canada to move toward ratification of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) treaties that Canada signed in 1997. “Canada’s future prosperity depends on our ability to sell our ideas to the rest of the world.  We cannot expect others to respect our intellectual property if we do not also respect theirs.”

The CCCE expressed support for the four principles underlying the proposed changes: balancing the rights of copyright owners with the needs of users; providing clear, predictable and fair rules; fostering innovation and attracting investment; and ensuring consistency with international standards.

Mr. Stewart-Patterson noted that the Copyright Act amendments are part of a broader strategy for strengthening Canada’s economic competitiveness through better protection of intellectual property rights.  “As a relatively small economy that is heavily dependent on knowledge-based industries, Canada has a vital interest in working with our trading partners to prevent counterfeiting and piracy, and in particular should take a leadership role in negotiating a multilateral Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).”

The CCCE is the senior voice of Canada’s business community, representing 150 chief executives and leading entrepreneurs from all major sectors and regions of the country.  CCCE members lead companies that collectively administer $3.5 trillion in assets, have annual revenues of more than $800 billion, and are responsible for the vast majority of Canada’s exports, investment, research and development, and training.

The members of the CCCE’s Executive Committee are:  Chair, Gordon M. Nixon, President and Chief Executive Officer, Royal Bank of Canada; CCCE Chief Executive and President Thomas d’Aquino; Honorary Chair Richard L. George, President and Chief Executive Officer of Suncor Energy Inc.; and Vice Chairs Dominic D’Alessandro, Paul Desmarais, Jr., Jacques Lamarre, Hartley T. Richardson and Annette Verschuren, the chief executives respectively of Manulife Financial, Power Corporation of Canada, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., James Richardson & Sons, Limited and The Home Depot Canada and Asia.