FACTBOX: Key provisions of Canada's new copyright bill
(Reuters) - Canadian Industry Minister Jim Prentice introduced a new copyright bill on Thursday, saying the government wants to bring the law up to date with the digital age.
Following are key provisions of the legislation.
- Legally acquired music can be copied for private use on to each device a person owns, such as a computer, iPod, MP3 player and cellphone, unless the music has a digital lock
- Hacked copies may not be copied further
- TV and radio programs may be copied for later use, but cannot be stored to build a library of recordings
- Companies may still sue individuals for private-use infringements, e.g., for downloading movies without authorization, but the maximum penalty would be C$500 ($490), rather than the current C$20,000 per infringement; these would not be government fines but damages companies would seek in court
- Damages for infringements not for private purposes, such as posting music or copyright-protected work on to a website, remain at a maximum C$20,000 for each work; the same penalty applies even for private use if digital locks have been hacked
- Devices to enable hacking cannot be sold or imported
- Exemptions for teachers are expanded to allow teachers to digitally deliver course materials; teachers and students may use material found on the Internet, for example making multiple copies of articles for distribution to classmates
- Internet service providers will be subject to "notice and notice", meaning they have to pass on notices from rights holders of alleged infringements; they do not have to take the offending material down as in the United States
- Format shifting is allowed for books, newspapers, periodicals, photos or videocassettes, for private use; for example, a copy may be stored on an individual's computer or cellphone
- Photographers become copyright owners rather than the individual who commissions a photograph or portrait.
($1=$1.02 Canadian)
(Reporting by Randall Palmer; Editing by Peter Galloway)
