PIJIP Files Joint Submission to Canadian Government Consultation on a Modern Copyright Framework for AI and the Internet of Things
September 20, 2021
On September 17, PIJIP's Sean Flynn and Michael Palmedo submitted joint comments with six other scholars to the Canadian government consultation on "A Modern Copyright Framework for Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things." The other scholars signing the comments were Lucie Guibault (Dalhousie University Schulich School of Law), Christian Handke (Erasmus University of Rotterdam), Joan-Josep Vallbé (University of Barcelona), Carys J. Craig, Osgoode Hall Law School of York University), Michael Geist (University of Ottawa) and João Quintais (University of Amsterdam).
The consultation is part of a wider review of Canada's copyright law meant to ensure the law keeps pace with changing technologies, and is structured in a way that drives innovation.
The scholars' submission focused on copyright exceptions needed to permit the copying of works for text and data mining - a key step in conducting AI driven research. It recommends that Canada amend its law to include both a general exception for research purposes and a specific copyright exception for text and datamining:
Empirical research shows that more publication of citable research takes place in countries with “open” research exceptions - that is, research exceptions that are open to all uses (e.g. reproduction and communication), to all works, and to all users. Empirical research also shows that text and data mining research is promoted through exceptions that more specifically authorize text and data mining research. While these studies are preliminary and we are still improving on them, they provide evidence that supports the approach of combining a general research exception with a more specific data mining exception.