These are exciting times for copyright law in Canada. The first Copyright Act, enacted more than 300 years ago was titled “An Act for the Encouragement of Learning”, but over the last few decades Canadian educators have increasingly experienced copyright law as a burden and a discouragement of learning. However, the recent Supreme Court rulings and amendments to the Copyright Act, and a growing willingness of educators to reclaim their users’ rights present an opportunity for positive change. 

On December 5, 2012, the Centre for Innovation Law and Policy at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, will hold a one-day symposium (9:00 am - 5:00 pm) to discuss some of these opportunities and some of the present and future challenges, threats, and pitfalls.

Leading experts from Canada and abroad will discuss the recent developments in Canada and elsewhere, evaluate different approaches to fair dealing guidelines and policies, the current post-secondary tariff  proceedings at the Copyright Board, and the prospects of opting-out of Access Copyright licenses and the tariff system.

The symposium is for the benefit of educators, librarians, researchers, teachers, university counsel, senior administrators, and others who are involved with copyright issues from within the education system, primarily within the post-secondary sector.

The workshop will discuss the following issues:

  • The pros and cons of different approaches to fair dealing guidelines and best practices documents;
  • Access Copyright, other collectives, and the Copyright Board: can tariffs be mandatory? What does it mean to opt out?
  • The past and future course of  the post-secondary tariff hearing at the Copyright Board;
  • Education in a changing legal and economic landscape in Canada and the United States: what it all means; how can recent developments be used to advance the missions of research and education;
  • How to exercise educators’ users’ rights and reclaim fair dealing;
  • Canada’s role in the future of a “Digital Public Library”. 

Confirmed speakers include:

  • Jonathan Band – PolicyBandWidth, Washington, DC
  • Prof. Niva Elkin-Koren – Faculty of Law, University of Haifa
  • Prof. Abraham Drassinower, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto
  • Prof. Michael Geist – Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa
  • Prof. Peter Jaszi – Washington College of Law, American University
  • Prof. Ariel Katz – Faculty of Law, University of Toronto
  • Howard Knopf – Macera & Jarzyna, LLP, Ottawa
  • Victoria Owen - Head Librarian, University of Toronto Scarborough, Chair, Copyright and other Legal Matters, International Federation of Library Associations
  • Nancy Sims - Copyright Librarian, University of Minnesota
  • Prof. Samuel Trosow – Faculty of Law and Faculty of Information and Media Studies, University of Western Ontario

Participation is by invitation only and space it limited.  To be invited, please fill out the request for invitation below, providing your name, position and a brief explanation of your involvement with these issues.