On September 30, 2018 the Canadian government announced the completion of negotiations toward a new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). This agreement, the successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), has potential implications for the interpretation and application of intellectual property at UBC. Relevant sections of the updated trade agreement are contained within Chapter 20: Intellectual Property Rights. Of particular interest is Article 20.H.7: Term of Protection for Copyright and Related Rights, which states that copyright terms for all signatory countries shall extend for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years. This reflects an additional twenty years of protection from what is currently afforded to creators in the Copyright Act of Canada. In addition to the term extension, there are other intellectual property provisions enumerated in the agreement that are not currently reflected in Canadian legislation.
As noted on the Government of Canada’s website, the USMCA agreement is subject to further refinement and additional legal review. At this time, NAFTA still remains in force. We will continue to update the UBC community as more information on the implementation of the USMCA becomes available.
UPDATES
- March 31, 2020
Bill C-4 Receives Royal Assent On March 13, 2020 Bill C-4, An Act to implement the Agreement between Canada, the United States of America and the United Mexican States, received Royal Assent. This Bill includes amendments to the Copyright Act. [Read more]
- March 16, 2020
Copyright Considerations for Online Courses There are a lot of pedagogical and technical issues that make the shift from in-person to online teaching challenging but copyright considerations do not change much and most of the things you are able to do in person, you are able to do online, especially when your online access is limited to students enrolled in your course. [Read more]
- December 13, 2019
On December 7, 2019, the Copyright Board of Canada certified new tariffs for the reprographic copying of literary works in the Access Copyright repertoire. [Read more]
