The WGC appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage for its study, “Remuneration Models for Artists and Creative Industries,” as part of the federal government’s review of the Copyright Act.
The Guild argued that screenwriters and directors are joint authors of film and television productions, or “cinematographic works” in the parlance of the Copyright Act. This is not only a matter of simple fact, but also has been recognized under Canadian case law and by international norms, and should be reflected in the Act itself. The WGC’s comments were substantially similar to those we made to the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology in the summer, and our written brief to that committee is available on the WGC website.
The Guild plans to follow up with further written comments to the Heritage Committee as their process continues into the winter.
