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The Final Copyright Consultation Numbers: No Repeat Of Bill C-61

By Michael Geist

The copyright consultation concluded last fall and it seems worth reminding Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore and Industry Minister Tony Clement what Canadians had to say when they asked for their opinion on copyright reform.  It has taken some time to calculate the final numbers as the government conducted a review to ensure that all were properly posted. There were ultimately more than 8,300 submissions - more than any government consultation in recent memory - with the overwhelming majority rejecting Bill C-61 (6138 submissions against, 54 in support), while thousands called for flexible fair dealing and a link between copyright infringement and anti-circumvention rules.

Position	Number of Supporters
Submissions against another Bill C-61	6138
Submissions in favour of shorter Copyright terms or against extending Copyright terms	5520
Submissions against anti-circumvention or in favour of limiting DRM/Digital locks	6641
Submissions in favour of stronger personal use/copying and backup protections including format shifting and time shifting rights	6242
Submissions in favour of an 'open copyright' system	16
Submissions advocating abolishing or reforming Crown Copyright	209
Submissions opposed to adopting an American-styled DMCA	262
Submissions in favour of stronger fair use/fair dealing protections	5962
Submissions opposed to implementing WIPO	19
Submissions in favour of eliminating all copyright	14
Submissions against a three-strikes rule	170
Submissions that favour a 'notice and notice' approach	6027
Submissions in favour of instituting a levy for file-sharing/monetizing P2P	104
Submissions in favour of greater exemptions for education/research	74
Submissions in favour of establish a good-faith defence that the user believed their use of a work was fair and non-infringing	5958
Submissions in favour of laws that are technologically neutral	5617
Submissions that argue individuals should be protected from liability as long as their use was private and non-commercial	5987
Submissions in favour of a parody/satire exemption	80
Submissions in favour of ISP neutrality	76
Submissions satisfied with current laws	29
Submissions calling for a stronger/updated public domain	133
Submissions against media levies	45
Submissions that favour low caps on statutory damages for non-commercial infringement	47
Submissions in favour of digital access to archival holdings	29
Submissions concerned about maintaining privacy	23
Submissions in favour of stronger penalties for copyright infringement	11
Submissions in favour of turning copyright into a crime	5
Submissions arguing for more protections/reforms for photographers	21
Submissions against works being available in digital or other forms for free and that argue creators need to be fairly compensated	256
Submissions arguing for stronger protection for writers and other artists	79
Submissions opposed to creating new/expanding exceptions	108
Submissions opposed to an expansion of fair dealing	107
Submissions in favour of notice and takedown	24
Submissions in favour of implementing WIPO	187
Submissions promoting a collective licensing scheme	97
Submissions in favour of high statutory fines	9
Submissions promoting longer copyright terms/opposed to shortening copyright terms	5
Submissions in favour of fining those who violate copyright laws	1
Submissions in favour of limiting/halting unauthorized file sharing	153
Submissions endorsing Bill C-61	54
Submissions proposing the expansion of the private copying levy	73
Submissions supporting anti-circumvention measures	46
Submissions proposing a re-sale right	25
Submissions calling for broader Moral Rights protections	24
Submissions calling for ISPs to play a bigger gatekeeping role in stopping online piracy	19
Submissions proposing a graduated response penalty system	5
Total Submissions	8306

Full post as published by Michael Geist on April 09, 2010 (boomark / email).