Copyright Reform Bill This Spring?

In anticipation of a possible copyright reform bill in Canada in the Spring of 2010, the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) issued a statement today reiterating its September 2009 position on copyright reform:

Fair dealing – Fair dealing is critical to a balanced and fair copyright regime. Copyright law reform must not limit or narrow fair dealing.

Damages and fair dealing – A change in the law should ensure that a user of a copyright-protected work is not subject to damages where he had reasonable grounds to believe that an activity is fair dealing.

Technological protection measures – Circumventing technical measures that prevent access or copying should be permitted if the purpose of the circumvention is not an infringement of copyright.

Educational use of the Internet – The Copyright Act should be amended to provide that students, teachers and educational institutions do not infringe copyright when they use publicly available material on the Internet for educational purposes.