Government must Do The Right Thing! - Copyright reform is long overdue
TORONTO, December 12, 2007 - The government's about-face decision to abandon the scheduled introduction of new Copyright legislation is a detriment to Canada's artists, and a hijacking of the policy process by a vocal minority.
"This government is turning its back on legislation that is long overdue. Politics must not trump policy. ACTRA holds the government to its promise for stronger safeguards for Intellectual Property (IP) rights it made in the Throne Speech. By not releasing the promised legislation, the government is causing further delays, and in the process shelving years of hard work," said Stephen Waddell ACTRA National Executive Director.
It was widely anticipated the federal government would introduce a new Copyright bill on December 11, 2007, but it has become apparent no bill is expected until 2008. Canada signed on to the WIPO copyright treaties in 1997. Now, 10 years later, ACTRA demands the government do the right thing and bring Canada's copyright laws into the 21st Century.
"Without protection for performers and creators, we risk more than harming our international reputation, we risk damaging our industry at large. Canada is on several IP rights watch lists because of our outdated copyright laws - in fact, among our major trading partners, Canada lags virtually last in modernizing its laws to keep up with the decade-old WIPO treaty commitments," said Richard Hardacre, ACTRA National President.
Further inaction by the government to reform Canada's Copyright laws jeopardizes our nation's prosperity as a result of reduced investment, innovation, and loss of jobs in our already struggling industry.
ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) is the national organization of professional performers working in the English-language recorded media in Canada. ACTRA represents the interests of 21,000 members across Canada - the foundation of Canada's highly acclaimed professional performing community.
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For more information:
Susan Ponting, National Public Relations, ACTRA
(416) 644-1519, 1-800-387-3516, sponting@actra.ca (416) 897-7028
