OTTAWA--A balance between the rights of creators and users has to be a cornerstone of a revised Copyright Act, according to a statement released today from Canada's largest students' organisation. Among other reforms, the Canadian Federation of Students is seeking an expanded definition of fair dealing and a "made in Canada" copyright solution to challenges presented by rapid advances in technology.

"Students are creators, users, and owners of copyright. To facilitate learning and future creative innovation, students and members of the Canadian public deserve reasonable access to copyrighted works without exorbitant fees or other barriers," said Ben Lewis, a spokesperson for the Canadian Federation of Students.

The Federation's statement on copyright reform calls for federal revisions to the Copyright Act that reject the model of the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act being advanced by large commercial interests in Canada. Instead, students are calling for amendments that balance the rights of users to fair access to material while protecting creators from unjust appropriation.

Representatives of the Canadian Federation of Students will make a presentation about copyright in post-secondary education at this week's "CopyCamp" conference in Toronto. The statement on copyright reform can be downloaded from the Federation's website at www.cfs-fcee.ca.

The Canadian Federation of Students is Canada's largest national students' organisation. It is composed of more than 80 university and college students' associations with a combined membership of over one-half million students.