Canada Launches Public Consultation on Reform of Copyright Board

The Copyright Board of Canada is responsible for determining the royalties paid for copyrighted content across various domains like music streaming, public music performance, educational copying, and retransmission of television signals.

The recent changes in the Copyright Board system are designed to ensure that the creators receive appropriate, timely remuneration. In addition, the updated system is expected to present new business opportunities amid the rapidly evolving economic landscape, leading to increased revenue for creators and users.

The Copyright Board has a record of stakeholder complaints regarding its decision-making process, which lacked transparency and predictability. As a result, reform was deemed necessary to address these issues.

A study by Professor Jeremy de Beer commissioned by the Canadian government for 1999 and 2013 stated that a tariff decision took three and a half years. Another Senate 2016 study revealed it took between three and a half to seven years to decide on a tariff. On average, royalties were certified in just over two years.

The government discussion paper on the Copyright Board and its work presents 13 possible options for regulatory and legislative reforms.

The reform is said to push innovation forward with access to new and diverse streams of copyright revenue.

 “A modern Copyright Board will better support both creators and users of copyrighted content by providing them with an efficient, transparent, stable and predictable regulatory environment,” said Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development.

Below are the main issues that must be dealt with before the consultation deadline on September 29th, 2017.

Background

The Copyright Board was established on February 1st, 1989, as the successor to the Copyright Appeal Board and is an economic, regulatory body that decides on the royalties – or tariffs – to be paid for the use of copyrighted works when the administration of such copyright is entrusted to a collective society.

The Copyright Act defines a collective society – or copyright collective – as an organization that collectively administers the rights of several copyright owners. As a centralized body, a collective society grants permission to use the owners’ works, sets the conditions for that use and collects tariffs on behalf of the copyright owners it represents. The Board also has the right to supervise agreements between copyright users and licencing bodies and to issue licences when the copyright owner cannot be located.

Overall, the Copyright Board’s objective is to set fair tariffs for copyright owners and the users of copyright-protected works within Canada’s cultural sector. This sector is generally thought to comprise the creation, production and distribution of goods and services that are cultural in nature and that are protected by intellectual property rights.

Enable The Board to Deal with Copyright Issues Quickly

One of the most significant challenges that the Copyright Board has faced in recent years is the time it takes to decide. Streamlining the decision-making process could be a solution if the Copyright Board can advance proceedings expeditiously with new or shortened deadlines. Limiting potential contributions of parties to delays and implementing case management, as well as additional information in preliminary filings, could help move the process along.

Reducing The Number of Annual Copyright Matters

Due to the large number of matters the Copyright Board must consider annually, decision-making processes tend to lag. The lag can be substantially reduced by permitting all collective societies to enter into licensing agreements or overriding effects with users and without the involvement of the Copyright Board.

Preventing Tariff Retroactivity or Limiting Its Impact

The existing framework could also be amended to allow for copyrighted content at issue and collection of royalties pending approval of tariffs in all Copyright Board’s proceedings rather than just some.

Clarifying The Copyright Board’s Decision-Making Process

While experienced participants are familiar with the operations of the Copyright Board, newcomers and courts conducting judicial review of the Copyright Board may benefit from codifying specific Copyright Board’s procedures through regulations to clarify and elaborate upon the procedures. Other suggestions include stipulating the overarching criteria the Copyright Board must consider in its decision-making process. Lastly, the tariff-setting regimes of the Act could be harmonized to a greater degree to increase consistency and clarity.

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**The information provided herein is a general background of contractual, technology and intellectual property law concepts. It does not constitute legal advice, and should not be relied upon as legal advice. Athena Innovation & Legal, nor the author, make no express or implied representations or warranties in respect of the information, including but not limited to the accuracy of the information.**