From "Radical Extremism" to "Balanced Copyright" : Canadian Copyright and the Digital Agenda
Chapter One
Copyright: Characteristics of Canadian Reform
Sara Bannerman
Canadian copyright has been called “the most contentious, the most con- troversial subject that has ever been before the Parliament of Canada,” occasioning “more friction in the parliament of Canada . . . than any other subject.”1 That statement, though made in 1923, is still true today as Canada embarks on its third attempt in five years to revise Canadian copyright law. Tensions arise not only out of the conflicting demands of Canadian copyright stakeholders; they also arise out of the various inter- national pressures on Canadian copyright policy and efforts to meet those demands while tailoring Canadian copyright to domestic circumstances. The attempt, under Bill C-32, to bring Canada into conformity with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)’s 1996 Internet treaties is an effort to navigate these tensions — occasioning as much friction and controversy as its predecessors.

