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30 Days of DRM – Day 25: Statutory Obligations (Circumvention Rights)

Section 32.1 of the Copyright Act features a list of several exceptions that ensure that the Copyright Act is compatible with other federal statutes that might require copying that would otherwise constitute infringement.  While none of these exceptions are particularly crucial from a user perspective, the principle of consistently retaining the Act's prescribed exceptions is an important one.  The statutory obligation provisions include disclosures under the Access to Information Act, the Privacy Act, the Cultural Property Export and Import Act, and Broadcasting Act requirements.  The Access to Information Act may be relevant here given that DRM's submissions to the government could fall within an ATIP request.  Similarly, the Broadcasting Act provision could become relevant.  To address the issue, a blanket circumvention right to meet statutory obligations is needed.

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