CAB says it ‘battled’ for a decade for copyright changes

The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) is “very pleased” the government’s copyright reform bill has been passed into law with a new exemption for radio broadcasters, the industry group said in a statement Wednesday. “After more than a decade of battling the ephemeral tax and the unfair layering of royalties for radio broadcasters, the CAB and its members are finally taking a moment to acknowledge this positive development in copyright law,” the CAB board said in an emailed statement passed on by Gabriel Van Loon, a lawyer with Van Loon Simmons Professional Corporation who represents the group. "The CAB thanks the Government for passing Bill C-11, and in particular for recognizing the value that radio creates for music." Bill C-11, the Copyright Modernization Act, passed into law June 29 and included a clause that repeals section 30.9(6) of the Copyright Act and exempts radio stations from compensating collective societies for mechanical reproduction rights paid for transferring and reformatting music files. Radio broadcasters collectively pay about $21 million in annual royalties to collective rights societies for the right to transfer and format digital tracks, the CAB said last year. "With a clear vision, hard work and determination, including an unprecedented national public service announcement campaign, the CAB and its members have worked diligently for years to help craft a copyright system that works for broadcasters, not against them," the CAB statement said. "It was through the efforts of many and the strength of our collective voice, that we have been able to educate decision makers on the important role that radio plays in communities and in the economy as a whole. The CAB Board of Directors would like to thank all its members for their involvement and for the important role they played in helping to make Bill C-11 a reality for the industry." --- CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Van Loon is a lawyer with Hayes eLaw LLP. He is now with Van Loon Simmons Professional Corporation.

CAB says it ‘battled’ for a decade for copyright changes

Brief | July 4, 2012

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