Canadian copyright law promises to dominate discussion in Ottawa over the coming weeks as hearings on Bill C-32, the controversial copyright bill, are set to begin within a few days. My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes that if the past six months are any indication, Members of Parliament will be asked to sort through confusing rhetoric in order to understand the implications of the proposed changes.  Separating fact from fiction will not be easy, but getting straight answers to the following questions will be crucial:

1.    Will Bill C-32 give education institutions the right to engage in massive uncompensated copying?

No. The inclusion of education as a fair dealing category will not mean that any educational copying will be free.  It will only mean that educational copying will be eligible for analysis under a six-part test developed by the Supreme Court of Canada to determine whether the copying qualifies as fair dealing. The changes in Bill C-32 are more modest than often claimed as they merely fill some gaps in the existing list of fair dealing categories.

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