Legal Research

Bill C-61 - Copyright Act Amendments Introduced

By Connie Crosby

From cbcnews.ca (June 12, 2008):

The federal government has introduced legislation to make it easier to prosecute people who download copyrighted material from the internet.

Industry Minister Jim Prentice tabled amendments to the Copyright Law in the House of Commons Thursday. Individuals caught downloading copyrighted files would be fined $500 under the proposed amendments. The current copyright law ? intended to catch commercial cheaters ? carries a maximum fine of $20,000 for infringements.

The bill has been in limbo since the Conservatives first put it on the Commons order paper in December. Prentice was caught between business interests who wanted strict protection for intellectual property, such as musical recordings and films, and internet users accustomed to downloading content for free.

From Michael Geist’s blog:

The government plans for second reading at the next sitting of the house, effectively removing the ability to send it to committee after first reading (and therefore be more open to change).

He will be providing more analysis once he has had a chance to read the Bill.

Full post as published by Slaw.ca on June 12, 2008 (boomark / email).