The Canadian Copyright Act 1921-2006: Historical, Cultural, Economic, Legal & Political Significance

The Canadian Copyright Act has significance for many facets of Canadian life beyond music downloads and photocopying. I will examine five: the historical, cultural, economic, legal and political significance of the Act. My conclusion in brief: the Act, and intellectual property rights in general  (henceforth ‘IPRs’), is too important to be left to private industry and politicians. It defines who we are as a creative, democratic nation.