CMEC Copyright Consortium pleased with new federal copyright legislation

TORONTO, June 3 /CNW/ - Ministers of education across Canada responded positively to the tabling of new federal copyright legislation in Ottawa yesterday. The Copyright Consortium of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), supports the copyright legislation because it allows students and educators in elementary and secondary schools, colleges, and universities to have fair and reasonable access to publicly available Internet materials in their educational pursuits.

"The educational use of the Internet has been a priority issue for the education community for several years," said Nova Scotia Minister of Education Marilyn More, chair of the CMEC Copyright Consortium, "therefore, we are pleased to see the inclusion of an education amendment in this new copyright bill."

"This legislation provides the clarity we have been looking for with respect to the educational use of the Internet. It is excellent that the bill allows students and educators to use Internet materials in their learning and teaching activities without fear of copyright infringement."

Minister More stressed how important it was for Canada's Copyright Act to establish the necessary legal framework to allow educators and students to use and copy digital materials with the array of available technologies. "It is good that the bill's education amendment allows students and educators to access and use publicly available Internet materials while respecting the rights of copyright holders who post materials with an expectation of payment."

The minister noted that the CMEC Copyright Consortium will review the other sections of the new legislation and provide feedback to the federal Ministers of Industry and of Canadian Heritage over the summer months. "Ministers of education recognize that this federal copyright legislation will have significant implications for how the Internet is used by students and educators across Canada. CMEC wants to review the bill thoroughly and ensure that the federal government has a clear understanding of how this legislation will impact Canada's education community."

About CMEC

Founded in 1967, CMEC is the collective voice of Canada's ministers of education. It provides leadership in education at the pan-Canadian and international levels and contributes to the fulfilment of the constitutional responsibility for education conferred on the provinces and territories. For more information, visit us at www.cmec.ca.

The CMEC Copyright Consortium is composed of the ministers of education from all provinces and territories except Quebec.

For further information: Colin Bailey, Director, Communications, Cell: [phone], Tel.: [phone], ext. 259, E-mail: [email protected]