How amendments to the Canadian Copyright laws affect you

There’s been a lot of talk lately about Bill C-32, the DMCA and all things having to do with copyright. For obvious reasons, it’s a very hot button issue, and  has spurred organizations like The Documentary Organization of Canada and the Canadian Federation of Students to respond. Michael Geist has called the long-awaited copyright reform plan “flawed but fixable.”

I’m not an expert on the issue, but I know that the copyright act holds different meaning for different people, depending on which side of the fence you’re on. From what I’ve seen to date, there seems to be a real effort to compromise in some areas. Specifically when it comes to fair-dealing.

These new laws affect virtually everyone. While its nice to be able to rely on commentaries from the pros and special interest groups, take the time to read the policy yourself. You can do so by visiting Balanced Copyright, a website set up by the Government of Canada.