Copyright Revision
The Canadian Copyright Act is under Parliamentary review. The revision is driven by a need for the act to address digital subject matter as required of Canada as signatory to two treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization. The treaties give copyright protection to digital and non-digital literary and artistic works, performer?s performances, broadcasting and sound recordings.
There is some opposition to the modernization of the act coming from
academic circles who feel that the changes will have a severe effect on
basic research and the dissemination of knowledge. Those concerned with
the updating of the act feel that the act gives too much to copyright
owners and/or creators, and not enough to users. They argue for a balance
between the copyright users and holders.
For further information on the Copyright Act reform process, visit:
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca, click on ?Copyrights? in the navigation bar
along the right hand side and the scroll to the ?Links? section. This
website also provides lots of other valuable information on Copyright.
Art Flips and Auditing
Several articles in the Canadian press have appeared about ?art flips.? These ?flips? involve the donors of visual art getting tax receipts that subsequently prove to be unsupportable when audited by the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) when investigated.
As a tax receipt is often the only benefit to many artists who donate their art, this practice is worth noting. When you quote a price for a
work, you must ensure that you have a sales record or sales rationale to
support the value you set to your work (and which appears on the receipt).
Do not inflate the value of your work beyond a price you can substantiate
with an actual sale of an equivalent piece. If you donate a piece larger
than you have ever done, set a value for it that is rationalized to
whatever sales you have made.
Opus Customer Service: 1-800-663-6953
