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Submissions on Canada-EU Trade Deal: Canadian Publishers' Council Seek Term Extension, Database Rt

By Michael Geist

Concluding the review of submissions to DFAIT regarding the Canada-EU Trade Agreement, the submission of the Canadian Publishers' Council is important because it highlights the hopes of those lobbying for extensive new copyright reforms.  The submission makes clear that those groups hope that CETA could force Canada into reforms such as copyright term extension and the creation of new database protection:

It would be expected that the EU will press Canada to move ahead with enabling legislation leading to quick ratification of the [WIPO Internet] treaties.  The Council has vigorously encouraged and continues to encourage the Canadian government to introduce required legislation and to ratify the treaties. We strongly recommend that the scope of any agreement between the EU and Canada include the protections required by the WCT and WPPT.

The Council would also endorse the alignment of copyright terms in Canada with those of our key trading partners (who have extended the term of copyright to 70 years after the life of the author).

We would press Canada to the sui generis approach to database protection, complementing the protection available under Canada's Copyright Act as interpreted by the Supreme Court of Canada in the Tele-Direct and CCH decisions.  This hybrid system is ideal.

Full post as published by Michael Geist on January 21, 2010 (boomark / email).