The Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology outlined its plans for the review of the Copyright Act last week. The committee expects the review to run into next year, with the hope of completing the hearings by early 2019.  The hearings will unfold in three phases:

• Witnesses representing specific sectors of activity, including publishing, visual arts, software and telecommunications (Phase I);
• Witnesses representing a range of stakeholders involved in multiple sectors of activity, such as Indigenous communities and various interest groups (Phase II); and
• Legal experts, including individual lawyers and academics, along with professional associations (Phase III).

The committee will also travel across Canada in May to offer additional opportunities for witnesses and has asked the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage to conduct a review of remuneration models for artists and creative industries.

Anyone can participate in the consultation by submitting their views directly to the committee.  It will accept written briefs of up to 2,000 words via email.