Representatives from writing and publishing organizations across
Canada in Ottawa for an AI Day of Action on April 30, 2024. Image
credit: Association of Canadian PublishersIn 2024, we embraced our role as a collaborator and contributor
to the continued effort to advance the interests of Canadian
creators and publishers. We did this through organizations such
as the Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions
(CDCE) as well as a working group of writing and publishing
organizations representing English-speaking and French-speaking
Canada, including Copibec, the reproduction rights organization
for Quebec.
In addition to continuing to advocate for amendments to the Copyright Act to clarify and repair the unintended damage caused by the education fair-dealing exception, we gave increased attention to generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and the need for guardrails to ensure that the interests of creators and publishers are respected in the building and training of AI systems.
Access Copyright was among the creator and publisher organizations represented in Ottawa on April 30 for an AI Day of Action, an initiative spearheaded by the Association of Canadian Publishers. The day included meetings with government officials from both Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and the Department of Canadian Heritage as well as with MPs from all major political parties. A well-attended reception in the evening hosted by MP Lisa Hepfner (Hamilton Mountain) included a powerful display of Canadian books that have been used without consent, compensation or credit to train AI systems.
We were also proud to co-sponsor a cross-sector advocacy day in Ottawa in mid-September, convened by the CDCE, to continue the urgent call for updates to the Copyright Act through meetings with government officials as well as a parliamentary reception. This event coincided with ALAI Canada’s symposium (in partnership with the CDCE) to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Copyright Act.
The International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organization’s (IFRRO) World Congress and General Assembly 2024 was held in Quebec City from September 30 to October 3. We were gratified that 150 Federation members from over 80 countries voted unanimously at IFRRO’s Annual General Assembly to support the copyright-reform recommendations that have been put forward by Access Copyright and Copibec.
We were equally gratified when over 500 creators, publishers, and concerned Canadians took part in a letter-writing campaign in September through the I Value Canadian Stories website to send a letter to their MP to reinforce the urgency surrounding action on copyright reform.
In addition to continuing to advocate for amendments to the Copyright Act to clarify and repair the unintended damage caused by the education fair-dealing exception, we gave increased attention to generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and the need for guardrails to ensure that the interests of creators and publishers are respected in the building and training of AI systems.
Access Copyright was among the creator and publisher organizations represented in Ottawa on April 30 for an AI Day of Action, an initiative spearheaded by the Association of Canadian Publishers. The day included meetings with government officials from both Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and the Department of Canadian Heritage as well as with MPs from all major political parties. A well-attended reception in the evening hosted by MP Lisa Hepfner (Hamilton Mountain) included a powerful display of Canadian books that have been used without consent, compensation or credit to train AI systems.
We were also proud to co-sponsor a cross-sector advocacy day in Ottawa in mid-September, convened by the CDCE, to continue the urgent call for updates to the Copyright Act through meetings with government officials as well as a parliamentary reception. This event coincided with ALAI Canada’s symposium (in partnership with the CDCE) to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Copyright Act.
The International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organization’s (IFRRO) World Congress and General Assembly 2024 was held in Quebec City from September 30 to October 3. We were gratified that 150 Federation members from over 80 countries voted unanimously at IFRRO’s Annual General Assembly to support the copyright-reform recommendations that have been put forward by Access Copyright and Copibec.
We were equally gratified when over 500 creators, publishers, and concerned Canadians took part in a letter-writing campaign in September through the I Value Canadian Stories website to send a letter to their MP to reinforce the urgency surrounding action on copyright reform.