COPYCENSE

“Copyright reform advocates frequently point to the economic importance of the so-called “copyright industries” to support their view that the government should enact tougher copyright laws. While few doubt that the industries merit attention, the economic angle has been hampered by the relative dearth of Canadian studies on the issue.

“Last year, the Department of Canadian Heritage’s Copyright Policy Branch set out to remedy that shortcoming by paying Connectus Consulting, an Ottawa-based public policy firm, more than $37,000 to study the Canadian economic impact of the copyright industries.

“The 93-page report confirms the importance of the copyright industries (defined in the report as music, movies, radio, television, publishing, theatre, software, and advertising services), yet challenges long-held assumptions about both the performance of the Canadian copyright industries in comparison to those in the United States as well as the economic health of the Canadian sound recording industry.”

Michael Geist. Sound Numbers: Data Regarding Music and Other Copyright Industries Confound Expectations. Canada.com. May 25, 2006.

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