ACCESS COPYRIGHT: Advocacy Update – keeping the momentum for the Copyright Act review

Watch Roanie’s appearance before the Industry Committee (it starts at 16:38:00 of the video).

The session was very well received and based on the nature of the questions that were brought forward by members of the committee, it is clear that the committee is beginning to appreciate that creators and publishers have been significantly harmed since the Copyright Modernization Act was passed.

The outcome of the session is a testament to the hard work that our community has been doing with the INDU Committee. The number of creators and publishers who have shared their personal stories during their recent cross-country tour have made an incredible difference by putting a relatable face to the problem, making it more difficult to ignore.

While this gives us all pause to feel encouraged, it is also critical that we bear down to double up our efforts and keep up the momentum. The opposition is pulling no stops and we can’t afford to either.

Make a submission to the Industry Committee

We encourage everyone to take the time to write a submission to the INDU committee.

Written submissions are meant to be brief and can be as simple as a one-page letter outlining your personal story of impact. They will help to keep reinforcing that Canadian creators and publishers have been hurt economically by 2012 changes to the Copyright Act and that the continued creation of Canadian content is at stake during this review.

The House of Commons has prepared detailed guidelines on making a written submission.

Here are some basic things to keep in mind for a submission.

• Address your submission to the “Members of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology”
• As submissions will be posted online, they should not include personal contact information beyond your name.

For the email used to submit your submission (the email will not be posted with your submission):

• Send to [email protected].
• The person reading the emails is Michel Marcotte, the clerk of the Industry Committee. The email should be addressed to him.
• The email should include your address, email and phone number.
• We recommend asking for confirmation of receipt of your submission.

Engage Through I Value Canadian Stories

If you haven’t visited IValueCanadianStories.ca recently, new letters directed at the Committee were added in late April so please take a moment to send one today.  You can also get active on social media and encourage your friends to take part.

Access Copyright is truly touched to learn that it will be receiving an honorary lifetime membership to the Association of Canadian Publishers (ACP).

“On behalf of the board and staff of Access Copyright, I would like to express our deep appreciation for this unexpected honour from the ACP,” said Roanie Levy, Access Copyright’s President and CEO. “The ACP is a tireless advocate for publishers committed to producing content that speaks to all Canadians, and has also been a staunch supporter of the principles upon which Access Copyright was created: upholding the rights of Canadian creators and publishers to ensure the continued creation of great Canadian content.”

The honour, which is given in recognition of those who have been deemed to have made important contributions to the ACP and to Canadian publishing, will be accepted by Cameron Macdonald, the Chair of the Access Copyright Board of Directors, at the ACP’s Annual General Meeting in Montreal on June 5.

“As we approach our 30^th anniversary, we want to thank the ACP for this meaningful award. Everyone involved with Access Copyright have always strived to be a strong voice for Canadian creators and publishers while seeking new opportunities to ensure that they are fairly paid for the use of their works. It is deeply gratifying to have this work acknowledged by our esteemed peers.” said Cameron.

May 31: Payback claim deadline for creator affiliates. Learn if you need to make a claim for this year’s payment.

June 1: The Publisher Repertoire claim period begins. Publisher affiliates will be sent more details on this year’s claim process on Monday, May 28 by email.