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Toronto, October 1, 2018 – SOCAN is delighted to learn that an agreement in principle has been reached on a new continental trade agreement that significantly strengthens copyright and cultural industry protections in Canada.
Under the deal, known as United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), copyrighted works will enter the public domain in Canada 70 years after the death of the author or composer. SOCAN has long advocated for this policy change, arguing Canada should afford the same protections to its creators as its major trading partners do.
SOCAN would also like to congratulate Canada’s negotiating team for preserving the exemption for cultural industries in the new trade agreement. It marks an important achievement for creators and the Canadian cultural ecosystem that will help ensure the future success of domestic creators.
“Today is a great day for Canadian creators,” said Eric Baptiste, SOCAN’s Chief Executive Officer. “SOCAN would like to thank the Canadian government for its efforts to defend the interests of the Canadian cultural sector and to provide greater protection for our creators.”
The Canadian government enjoys the full support of SOCAN in pursuing these measures to support domestic cultural industries. SOCAN pledges to continue to collaborate with the federal government to find more ways to support creators across Canada.
SOCAN is also committed to working with the government on next steps to ensure that the agreement is implemented.
About SOCAN
SOCAN connects more than four-million music creators worldwide and more than a quarter-million businesses and individuals in Canada. Nearly 150,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers are its direct members, and more than 130,000 organizations are Licensed To Play music across Canada. With a concerted use of progressive technology and a commitment to lead the global transformation of music rights, with wholly owned companies Audiam and MediaNet, SOCAN is dedicated to upholding the fundamental truths that music has value and music creators and publishers deserve fair compensation for their work. For more information: www.socan.com
Media contacts:
Proof Strategies (for SOCAN): Louis-Charles Roy, 613-670-5814, lcroy@getproof.com
SOCAN: Andrew Berthoff, 416-442-3836, Andrew.Berthoff@socan.com