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Katz Submission to the Copyright Board on Access Copyright

University of Toronto law professor Ariel Katz has a must-read submission to the Copyright Board on the ongoing effort by Access Copyright to exclude objectors to the tariff proceeding.

6 Comments

  1. Thanks for posting this Michael
    Ariel Katz really villifies Access Copyright for trying to take away rights granted by parliament, rightly so too.

  2. Bob
    No, he doesn’t. He claims that the Copyright Board is trying to do this. However, he overlooks the discretion that the Board has in matters of procedure. If, say, 1 million people had filed objections, is anyone seriously saying that each of them will have to participate? The Board can do what is needed to ensure an efficient hearing. That means eliminating obvious duplication, grandstanding, and irrelevant objections. Hearing 50 students is really not going to advance the discussion any more than hearing one student. Basically, they don’t want to pay extra. Tough. Life isn’t fair.

  3. @Bob
    Well put. It goes both ways. The Copyright Board can also deny individual creators who may petition to be heard arguing FOR the tariff on the same basis.

  4. @Anon-K
    Not disputed. As Katz points out, supporters of a tariff can hardly be objectors.

  5. Wait, is someone here trying to suppress my opinion at the Copyright Board? Why, I oughta…

    And if it’s not clear, I agree with Bob. The CB can ignore my letter of support if they feel it doesn’t add anything to AC’s proposal or the deliberations. I respect that.

  6. @Bob
    “If, say, 1 million people had filed objections, is anyone seriously saying that each of them will have to participate?”

    Their Government representatives who represent those 1 million people should be allowed to file objections and participate on their behalf. As I recall the Government of Alberta had filed an objection to this tariff and was denied its rights. Why is the public being denied access to participate fully in these hearings? Even Degen was shown the cold shoulder.