OTTAWA — The Conservative government has reintroduced legislation to make sweeping changes to the outdated Copyright Act.
The Copyright Modernization Act has been in Parliament before, but died before it became law.
Now with their first majority government, the Tories have brought back numerous pieces of legislation they couldn’t pass as a minority.
Heritage Minister James Moore says the copyright bill offers a common-sense balance between the interests of consumers and the rights of artists, writers and others who produce copyright material.
The government says social media and new technologies such as tablet computers, mobile devices and digital book readers have changed the way people create and use copyrighted material.
It says the bill recognizes the many new ways teachers, students, artists, companies, consumers, families, and copyright owners use technology.
And it says the legislation gives creators and copyright owners the tools to protect their work and expand their businesses.