On Friday last, June 23, the Parliament of Canada passed legislation to extend the general term of copyright protection from 50 years after the life of the author to 70 years after the life of the author, as committed to by Canada under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). An upcoming Order in the Council by the federal cabinet will bring this legislative measure into force. Under CUSMA, Canada agreed to amend the Copyright Act and change the general term of copyright protection from 50 to 70 years following the death of an author. This will create new export opportunities for Canada’s creative industry and Canadian content, while continuing to protect authors.
Annette Barrett, President of IMPF said “Many congratulations to all our friends and colleagues in Music Publishers Canada who worked so long and hard on this; we are delighted that Canada has voted to join the many countries in the rest of the world granting term extension from 50 to 70 years after the life of the author.”