My Response to Consultation on Canadian Copyright Term Extension

I submitted my personal comments in response to the Canadian Government's problematic consultation on How to Implement an extended term of Copyright Protection in Canada. 

Here's my submission.

Here's my bottom line of recommendations:

a.      Adopt the suggestion by former US Register of Copyrights Maria Pallante for a registration regime for the final twenty years of a life + 70 term;

b.     Establish a full and proper consultation over a period of at least six months following publication of the proposed details – and ideally the wording of any legislation and regulations – implementing such a regime;

c.      Insist on decoupling this consultation from the clearly vapor ware and diversionary announcement of parallel consultations involving the “internet of things” and “online intermediaries”;

d.     Veto any option that would involve extended collective licensing, involvement of collectives and/or involvement of the Copyright Board in any manner; and,

e.      Recognize that there is no need for undue haste to comply with the apparent deadline of December 31, 2022 when the consequences of improvident compliance are so high and the risk of potential non-compliance may be manageable and perhaps even minimal.

HPK