On November 7, 2012, the Governor General in Council proclaimed into force the majority of the Copyright Modernization Act, which was given Royal Assent June 29. This new Act brings significant changes to Canada's copyright laws, such as an expansion of the fair dealing exception, the updating of copyright protection for the online environment and the addition of protection for "digital locks."
The order in the Canada Gazette proclaims into force most of the new Act, with two small categories of exceptions.
First, the order delays the coming into force of the sections referring to the international copyright treaties, the WCT and the WPPT, until the date that those treaties come into force in Canada.
Second, the "notice-and-notice" provisions in the infringement exemption for "providers of network services" and "information location tools" are not yet in force. Presumably, this is so the Minister can develop regulations which prescribe the form of notice required by those sections.
Read more - Full-text copy of the Copyright Modernization Act.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
