ABSTRACT
Since 1924 “An Act respecting copyright,” The Copyright Act (R.S., c. C-42, s. 1) has been law in Canada. When the Copyright Act came into being it was to be more than a decade before xerography would be invented. Since then there has been a revolution in media distribution systems. Kodak first introduced 35mm colour transparency film in 1937. Sound recording was developed during World War II. Ampex produced the first practical videotape recorder in 1956. The 914 Xerox copier came on the market in 1960,1 and floppy disks for data storage arrived in the 1970s. In all this time, in the face of a revolution in copy technology, the law did not change. However, since at least the 1960s, use of these new technologies for reproduction kindled discussion about revisions to the Copyright Act. In recent years bootleg copying of audio and video recordings and computer programs caused industry to increase pressure on the Government for greater protection, and finally in 1988 the first of two phases of Canadian copyright revisions, Bill C-60 “An Act to amend the Copyright Act and to amend other Acts in consequence thereof,” received Royal Assent. Section 71 of this bill established licensing bodies for the “Collective Administration of Copyright” in order to collect royalties. These bodies are known as copyright collectives.
