The copyright consultation concluded last fall and it seems worth reminding Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore and Industry Minister Tony Clement what Canadians had to say when they asked for their opinion on copyright reform. It has taken some time to calculate the final numbers as the government conducted a review to ensure that all were properly posted. There were ultimately more than 8,300 submissions – more than any government consultation in recent memory – with the overwhelming majority rejecting Bill C-61 (6138 submissions against, 54 in support), while thousands called for flexible fair dealing and a link between copyright infringement and anti-circumvention rules.

Position Number of Supporters Submissions against another Bill C-61 6138 Submissions in favour of shorter Copyright terms or against extending Copyright terms 5520 Submissions against anti-circumvention or in favour of limiting DRM/Digital locks 6641 Submissions in favour of stronger personal use/copying and backup protections including format shifting and time shifting rights 6242 Submissions in favour of an “open copyright” system 16 Submissions advocating abolishing or reforming Crown Copyright 209 Submissions opposed to adopting an American-styled DMCA 262 Submissions in favour of stronger fair use/fair dealing protections 5962 Submissions opposed to implementing WIPO 19 Submissions in favour of eliminating all copyright 14 Submissions against a three-strikes rule 170 Submissions that favour a “notice and notice” approach 6027 Submissions in favour of instituting a levy for file-sharing/monetizing P2P 104 Submissions in favour of greater exemptions for education/research 74 Submissions in favour of establish a good-faith defence that the user believed their use of a work was fair and non-infringing 5958 Submissions in favour of laws that are technologically neutral 5617 Submissions that argue individuals should be protected from liability as long as their use was private and non-commercial 5987 Submissions in favour of a parody/satire exemption 80 Submissions in favour of ISP neutrality 76 Submissions satisfied with current laws 29 Submissions calling for a stronger/updated public domain 133 Submissions against media levies 45 Submissions that favour low caps on statutory damages for non-commercial infringement 47 Submissions in favour of digital access to archival holdings 29 Submissions concerned about maintaining privacy 23 Submissions in favour of stronger penalties for copyright infringement 11 Submissions in favour of turning copyright into a crime 5 Submissions arguing for more protections/reforms for photographers 21 Submissions against works being available in digital or other forms for free and that argue creators need to be fairly compensated 256 Submissions arguing for stronger protection for writers and other artists 79 Submissions opposed to creating new/expanding exceptions 108 Submissions opposed to an expansion of fair dealing 107 Submissions in favour of notice and takedown 24 Submissions in favour of implementing WIPO 187 Submissions promoting a collective licensing scheme 97 Submissions in favour of high statutory fines 9 Submissions promoting longer copyright terms/opposed to shortening copyright terms 5 Submissions in favour of fining those who violate copyright laws 1 Submissions in favour of limiting/halting unauthorized file sharing 153 Submissions endorsing Bill C-61 54 Submissions proposing the expansion of the private copying levy 73 Submissions supporting anti-circumvention measures 46 Submissions proposing a re-sale right 25 Submissions calling for broader Moral Rights protections 24 Submissions calling for ISPs to play a bigger gatekeeping role in stopping online piracy 19 Submissions proposing a graduated response penalty system 5 Total Submissions 8306