A Canadian approach to copyright

Title | Canadian Copyright: A Citizen’s Guide
Authors | Laura J Murray and Samuel E Trosow
Format | Paperback
Page count | 224 pages
Publisher | Between the Lines (October 2007)
Language | English

In this highly readable guide, authors Laura Murray and Samuel Trosow take readers on a journey through Canadian copyright law, from origins through to present-day applications. Far from being a droning how-to manual or a snooze-inducing textbook in dense legalese, Canadian Copyright: A Citizen’s Guide is a thoroughly engaging read—all the more so because its perspective is distinctly Canadian.

Part I: philosophy and history of Canadian copyright law
In Part I, the authors explain the two major lines of philosophical justification for copyright—rights-based theories and utilitarianism—and outline the history of copyright. They demonstrate that Canadian copyright has its antecedents in American, British, and French approaches and (oh so typically) attempts to strike a balance between them.

Part II: constraints and freedoms of Canadian copyright law
But that balance can be precarious indeed, especially in an age when multinationals have a vested interest in milking profit from creative works, and the public is increasing aware of intellectual property rights and individual user rights. Hence, Part II focuses on the law itself—what constraints it imposes, what freedoms it allows, and how these considerations are typically interpreted by the courts.

Part III: practical applications of Canadian copyright law
In Part III, the authors get to the nitty-gritty of practical application. Of greatest professional interest to editors will be the subsections on journalism and websites (and perhaps the pages on photography and visual arts for those of us who work with illustrated manuscripts).

Beyond the immediately relevant bits, though, it’s genuinely interesting to learn about the particulars of copyright management in a variety of fields as part of the broader picture of how Canadian law and Canadian citizens negotiate the contested ground of intellectual property ownership. Among other things, A Citizen’s Guide illustrates copyright law’s strained relationship with electronic-content distribution and points out numerous places where the fine print of corporate-copyright contracts can actually be incompatible with the law.

Balanced views and strong opinions
Murray and Trosow strive to present a balanced view of the various issues that come up when copyright is discussed. Nevertheless, they don’t shy away from presenting strong opinions about the way things should be done, and they don’t shy away from conveying their predictions about the future of copyright in Canada. They cite an array of sources, from interviews with Canadian artists to newspaper articles and legal proceedings. Their smart and upbeat writing style, clearly organized charts, tables, illustrations, and photographs, and their targeted resource lists at the end of each chapter combine to create a guide that’s highly relevant and never boring.

In an area of law that’s far from black and white, Canadian Copyright: A Citizen’s Guide teases out the various shades of grey and provides a common-sense perspective on the ways copyright affects our everyday lives and choices. While readers may use the book as a reference for specific questions, it’s well worth reading from cover to cover to gain a fresh understanding of how Canadian culture is filtered through copyright.

Credits:
Author | Andrea Zanin

About the author
Andrea Zanin writes about alternative sexuality for the Montreal Mirror, Xtra!, and Outlooks, Canada’s gay monthly magazine. She edits and translates for lesbian academics, gay film festivals, and sex workers’ rights groups, and runs the Leather Bindings Society, a book club for sadomasochists.