Canadian Copyright: A Citizen's Guide

by Laura J. Murray, Samuel E. Trosow, Jane Burkowski (Illustrator)

Overview

In the age of easily downloadable culture, messages about copyright are ubiquitous. If you're an artist, consumer, or teacher, copyright is likely a part of your everyday life. Yet no resource exists to explain Canadian copyright law to ordinary Canadians. In accessible language, using examples and case studies, this book parses the Copyright Act and explains issues pertinent to a range of particular groups of Canadians; it also makes a case for grassroots engagement in balanced legal reform.

Canadian Copyright: A Citizen's Guide is not an alarmist call to stop the pirating of culture, but an articulate assertion that artists and consumers need not see each other as enemies. It should be essential reading for all Canadians concerned by how Canadian copyright law and policy affects them.

Click the 'Review Quote' link below to read reviews and endorsements of Canadian Copyright

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781897071304
Publisher:	Between the Lines
Publication date:	10/15/2007
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Laura J. Murray is an Associate Professor in the English Department of Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., and creator of the website www.faircopyright.ca

Samuel E. Trosow is an Associate Professor at the University of Western Ontario in London; he is jointly appointed in the faculties of Law and Information and Media Studies.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Ideas
1. Copyright's Rationales
2. Copyright's Histories

Part 2 Law
3. Copyright's Scope
4. Owners' Rights
5. Determining Ownership
6. Users' Rights
7. Enforcement of Owners' Rights

Part 3 Practice
8. Craft & Design
9. Digital Rights Management
10. Education
11. Film and Video
12. Journalism
13. Libraries & Museums
14. Music
15. Photography
16. Visual Arts
17. Websites

Part 4 Policy
18. Copyright's Counterparts
19. Copyright's Future

Notes
Legal Citations and Cases
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

PRAISE FOR CANADIAN COPYRIGHT
'This book carefully balances history and tradition with advocacy for reform... The audience for this book should include all Canadians, not just communications nerds, policy wonks, and working artists. Otherwise... we'll get the culture that we deserve rather than the culture that we want.'
- Quill & Quire

'Murray and Trosow guide the reader through such murky waters with clarity, grace and good humour ... should remain valuable for years to come.'
- CAUT Bulletin

'An informative exploration of the various facets of copyright laws ... The book [is highly readable and relevant.'
- Our Times

'Will remain an important text, regardless of changes to the letter of the law... What makes the project of this book entirely laudable is that it imagines Canadian citizenship in a contemporary milieu as something that invariably involves active cultural production as well as consumption.'
- TOPIA, Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies

"Copyright law is too important to leave to the lawyers alone... Highly recommended!'
- David Bollier, author of Brand Name Bullies: The Quest to Own and Control Culture

'Laura Murray and Sam Trosow walk us through the issues that are defining Canada's place in the digital age. Find out where you stand in the battle between U.S. trade lobbyists and kids with an I-Pod.'
- Charlie Angus, MP (Timmins-James Bay), cultural spokesman for the New Democratic Party and former lead singer with the Juno-nominated Grievous Angels

'Canadian Copyright is an indispensable lay person's guide through the practical, legal and philosophical copyright maze...Canadian Copyright is a much needed book. '
- Paul Whitney, City Librarian, Vancouver Public Library, Chair of the Canadian Urban Library Council Copyright Committee

'Canadian Copyright should be in every art and design student's backpack. It elegantly clarifies the law, its nuances and applications, while opening up opportunities for discussion of copyleft, appropriation and fair use. With sections on music, film and video, visual arts, craft and design, websites and digital rights, and current case examples, it is ideal as a text for use in Professional Practice courses. It is also fascinating, well constructed, and very readable.'
- Johanna Householder, Professor, Faculty of Art, Ontario College of Art and Design

'Students in my courses often don't really know, or seem to care, about copyright - until we actually start discussing it. After that, the questions never end, as they realize the extent to which this issue permeates literally every aspect of our lives as citizens, consumers and media producers. Thanks to Murray & Trosow, we finally have a highly accessible guide to Canadian copyright that provides well-researched, and often fascinating, answers to many of these questions'
- Matt Soar, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, Concordia University

"It is time to reform Canada's copyright law, and Canadian Copyright: A Citizen's Guide reveals the path that this reform should take."
- Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada

From the Publisher