CMRRA Forecast 2019

By External Source

Looking back at 2018, Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd. (CMRRA) was pleased to see the decision of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development to provide support for the operations of the Copyright Board of Canada. The proposed changes will strengthen the Board and allow it to play an integral role in the Canadian creative industries when it is needed.

Looking forward to 2019, we support the Canadian Government’s ongoing review of the Copyright Act. Specifically, we ask that they:

1. Amend the exceptions introduced in 2012 for backup copies (section 29.24), technological processes (section 30.71), ephemeral copies (section 30.9(6)), and hosting services (subsection 31.1(4)) to restore balance and address unintended consequences.

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2. Amend the Copyright Act to authorize a court, on application by a rightsholder, to grant a site-blocking or de-indexing injunction against an Internet intermediary, on a “no-fault” basis to the intermediary.

These changes are important to ensure that music publishers and songwriters are paid fairly and start to address the value gap that has emerged over the last decade.