November 22, 2010

Ottawa – November 22, 2010 - Gord Brown, Member of Parliament for Leeds-Grenville, today began work as the Chair of the Special Legislative Committee formed to deal with Bill C-32 the Copyright Modernization Act. He was chosen Chair by Speaker Peter Milliken.

“I am honoured to have this opportunity to help guide this Bill through the Committee process,” says Brown.

The Bill passed Second Reading in the House of Commons and was sent to a Special Legislative Committee.
As passed at Second Reading the Bill proposes to:

• update the rights and protections of copyright owners to better address the challenges and opportunities of the Internet, so as to be in line with international standards;
• clarify Internet service providers’ liability and make the enabling of online copyright infringement itself an infringement of copyright;
• permit businesses, educators and libraries to make greater use of copyright material in digital form;
• allow educators and students to make greater use of copyright material;
• permit certain uses of copyright material by consumers;
• give photographers the same rights as other creators;
• ensure that the Copyright Act remains technologically neutral; and
• mandates a review of the Copyright Act by Parliament every five years.

There has been a great deal of interest in this Bill. The committee begins its work on Tuesday, November 23.