Copyright is essential to the work that we do and is a key pillar of the creative economy. Copyright supports the continued creation and publication of written works in all genres and for a variety of markets.
ACP recognizes that the Government of Canada must extend the general term of copyright protection by 20 years, to life-plus 70, before the end of 2022, in order to meet its obligations under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). ACP also understands that the government is consulting on whether term extension should be accompanied by the establishment of a new out-of-commerce works and orphan works regime. ACP does not view these issues as being linked. Issues around out-of-commerce works and orphan works are complex and may warrant further study after the Copyright Act is amended; however, in the absence of this link, ACP recommends extending the general term of copyright without any accompanying measures.