Promises to curb photocopying replaced by sweeping claims of entitltement.
Bill C-11, or rather one highly-disputed part of the bill — the inclusion of “education” as a fair dealing category — has already inflicted potentially irreversible damage to the incomes of Canada’s professional writers and publishers.
Educational licences worth millions of dollars in annual royalty payments are currently unsigned and far overdue, royalty cheques uncut. Populist free culture advocates berate, abuse and insult the collective solidarity of Canada’s creative sector, while the educational publishing business broods under a dark cloud. Meanwhile, frontline teachers and students are more confused than ever about what they can and cannot copy…
Did educators show their real cards to Parliament?
About John Degen
John Degen has professional freelance writer for more than twenty years, as a poet, novelist and critic. His 2006 novel, The Uninvited Guest, was shortlisted for Amazon.ca's First Novel Award. He currently works for the Ontario government, administering grant support to the province's literary book publishers, cultural magazines, writers and literary festival producers. He speaks and writes regularly about copyright issues related to writing and publishing.
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