OTTAWA--Students proposed a series of recommendations for Bill C-32 the Copyright Modernization Act to ensure it strikes a fair balance between the rights of users and creators, in a submission to Parliament yesterday.

"Education and innovation depends on fair access to copyrighted works," said Dave Molenhuis, National Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students. "A few simple amendments would ensure fair copyright for all Canadians."

The recommendations, submitted by the Canadian Federation of Students at the request of the Special Legislative Committee studying C-32, focused on ensuring students, teachers and other members of the post-secondary education community have fair access to copyrighted works and that the bill supports innovative and creative educational practices. In particular, the submission recommends that the expansion of the right to fair dealing–to include education–proposed in Bill C-32 be adopted. It also proposes a series of amendments be made to the digital locks provisions to stop Canadians from being criminalised for their legal uses of copyrighted works.

"Educational fair dealing will grant students and teachers access to copyrighted materials while ensuring that creators continue to be compensated fairly for the use of their work," added Molenhuis. "However, the welcome expansion to fair dealing and all other user rights are undermined by C-32's unwavering protection of digital locks."

In addition, the submission recommended changes to a number of the special exceptions proposed in Bill C-32 and recommended that proposals to reduce statutory damages and adopt a notice-and-notice regime for internet service provider liability be adopted.The submission can be downloaded from the Federation's website at www.cfs-fcee.ca/copyright.

The Canadian Federation of Students is Canada's largest student organisation, uniting more that one-half million students in all ten provinces. The Canadian Federation of Students and its predecessor organisations have represented students in Canada since 1927.