Copyright Consultations Commence

A Copyright Consultation process was initiated by the Conservative Government three days ago. The process is described as ‘nation-wide consultations’. The Conservative government say they want to ‘ensure that all perspectives are taken into account in an open and transparent process’. The Appropriation Art Coalition would like to encourage Artists and Cultural Sector workers to assist the government in being both open and transparent.

The consultations are being described as an effort to solicit Canadians’ opinions on the issue of copyright. Consultations run from July 20 – September 13. How much the results of this process will actually inform new legislation in the Fall we will wait to find out. Michael Geist writes that the most important element of the process will be the online forum and public comments. He has launched a new website (SpeakOutOnCopyright) in an effort to facilitate greater participation in the consultation process.

The consultation process has been split into various levels or hierarchies; ‘Round Tables’, ‘Town Halls’ and an online forum. The Appropriation Art Coalition, and others active in the fight for balanced copyright have been invited to Town Hall meetings. The Round Table discussions were closed prior to announcing the consultations. In a phone conversation with Conservative Headquarters it was not guaranteed that everyone in a Townhall meeting would be able to speak. Though labelled a nation-wide process there are only two Town-Hall venues, in Toronto and Montreal.

We hope this proves to be a meaningful and important consultation process. We would like to see changes to legislation that protect the rights of many artists and galleries. We encourage artists and cultural sector workers to make your voice heard. Freedom of expression is something that is a unique privilege in Canada and one which must be protected. Please contact us at contact@appropriationart.ca if you have any questions. Visit Michael’ Geist’s website to participate in his discussion on this process. And then speak out.

We’ll be posting our comment in the next day or two.

The Official Conservative Copyright Consultation Site
Speak Out On Copyright Site

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Michael Geist: SpeakOutOnCopyright.ca Launches…