[2ShidlerJLComTech016] The Failures and Promises of Canada’s Alternative Compensation System for Private Reproduction of Copyrighted Recordings

Abstract

Abstract: Canada’s copyright system imposes a levy on manufacturers and importers of blank audio recording media. Revenue raised by this levy goes to the eligible owners of musical copyright— rightsholders. Thus, Canada squarely faces the reality of the modern age by acknowledging that users will duplicate copyrighted material at the same time that it attempts to guarantee compensation to certain rightsholders. Like its counterpart, the American Audio Home Recording Act of 1992, this system has certain fundamental flaws. What these flaws indicate about the future of copyright law is unclear.