Today the federal government announced that it is introducing legislation to amend the Copyright Act,* which was last amended in 1997. (The proposed change in 2008 did not pass.)
Here are some of the provisions included in the bill:
- “Digital locks” will be protected under the new law. It will be illegal for users to “pick” the digital locks encrypted in copyrighted electronic goods, such as DVDs and CDs.
- Consumers’ right to “fair use” will be protected. The legality of copying of data for personal use is unclear under the current law. The bill proposes to formally protect the consumers’ right to record TV programs for later viewing or to copy their music files to their iPods.
- The new bill will make “unlocking” cellphones legal. It will be OK for users to modify their phone to switch to another carrier so long as their contract with the existing service provider is respected.
I will be watching closely to see whether this bill gets through the Parliament intact and become law.
*R.S.C. 1985 c. C-42
Note: Please keep in mind that this article is provided for information and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be regarded as such. The law may have changed since the publication of the article.
