Julianna Yau’s blog

The CBC is reporting that the copyright bill has been delayed.

Thanks to Russell over at Digital Copyright Canada.

The pandemonium being generated around the upcoming copyright legislation has been tiring. Although I think it’s fabulous that users are taking an interest in and being represented for copyright issues, I wonder whether the loudest of them have done enough study into the issues of copyright. With my own focus of copyright on the visual arts alone (excluding New Media and interdisciplinary arts), I feel that I am sufficiently prepared to tackle the issues with my peers after a few years of study. Not to diminish the importance of user rights, but how many of the users who are complaining have an understanding of the issues in addition to being aware of the issues? Theirs are ones which spread across several disciplines and, as I have noted before, they can’t all be treated the same way.
At this point, I am more concerned about all of the rumours flying around the copyright legislation than the legislation itself. This op-ed post at the CCC pretty much encapsulates my feelings about the pandemonium, and sets me off to wondering again. This time, it’s whether any of the users who have been rallied to fight for fair copyright will actually take the time to read and analyse the proposals…or if they will simply take the word of the Michael Geist & co. No matter how just the cause, blind acceptance is a dangerous thing.

This was also distributed to the delegates at the Summit:

---

Goals:
1. Increase revenues originating from the professional practice of visual arts;
2. Develop a social security net for professional Visual Artists.Actions:
1. Inclusion of the Resale Right in the Copyright Act.
2. Establishment of an Exhibition Right Fund, similar to the Public Lending Fund.
3. Adoption and implementation by the Government of Canada of a Policy for the integration of artworks in the architecture of public buildings (1% Policy) inspired by the Quebec experience.
4. Improvement of the financial and contractual conditions offered to Canadian and Québécois artists for the public presentation of their works.
5. Creation of a social security net for visual artists (collective insurances and retirement fund) based on contributions by artists, presenters, private enterprises and patrons of the arts.
6. Establishment and implementation of fiscal measures to promote the acquisitions of works by professional Canadian and Québécois Artists by individuals and private enterprises.
7. Creation of Regional Contemporary Art Funds dedicated to the acquisition by local and regional museums of works by professional Canadian and Québécois Artists based on contributions by the different levels of government, private enterprises and art patrons, inspired by the French experience.
8. National promotional campaign to present professional Canadian and Québécois Artists and to develop in the public a better understanding of the new artistic movements.
9. Establishment for Artists of a federal tax credit for the first 15 000.$ of copyright and/or net sales of visual art works.
10. Invite banks and credit unions to give loans at advantageous rates and conditions for the purchase of artworks by professional Visual Artists from Quebec and Canada.
11. Net increase by the Canada Council for the Arts of the sums dedicated to the visual arts sector for creation, research, development, production, presentation and acquisitions.
12. Obtain the abolition of the federal income tax on Artist’s awards and bursaries.

For further information contact:

April Britski
Executive Director
CARFAC National
1-866-344-6161
carfac@carfac.ca
http://www.carfac.ca

Christian Bedard
Executive Director
RAAV
(514) 866-7101
christian.bedard@raav.org
http://www.raav.org

Google has finally uncovered that YYZ was also blogging at the Visual Arts Summit. While my posts were mostly reflective and condensed the pages of notes I scribbled, YYZ included what looks like their original notes from the event. And they have pictures!