VZCZCXRO6734
PP RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHOT #3604 3492110
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 152110Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4638
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS OTTAWA 003604 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAN AND EB/TPP/IPE (JENNIFER BOGER) 
DEPARTMENT PASS USTR FOR SULLIVAN AND MELLE 
USDOC FOR ITA/MAC/WHA/ARUDMAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KIPR ETRD ECON USTR CA
SUBJECT: IPR: LETTER FROM CANADIAN HERITAGE MINISTER BEV 
ODA ON COPYRIGHT REFORM 
 
 
NOT FOR THE INTERNET 
 
¶1. (U)  Ambassador Wilkins has received the attached letter 
from Canadian Heritage Minister Bev Oda on copyright reform 
in Canada, which responds to an October 13th letter sent by 
USTR Ambassador Schwab to Industry Minister Maxime Bernier. 
 
¶2. (SBU)  Begin text: 
 
Ministry of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women 
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0M5 
December 11 2006 
 
Dear Ambassador: 
 
Thank you for your correspondence of October 13, 2006, 
enclosing a copy of correspondence from Ambassador Susan C. 
Schwab, United States Trade Representative, to the Honourable 
Maxime Bernier, Minister of Industry, regarding copyright 
reform in Canada. 
 
I appreciate being advised of the views of the Government of 
the United States of America on the legal protection of 
intellectual property rights and have carefully noted 
Ambassador Schwab's comments with respect to this matter. 
 
The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Industry, and I 
are carefully considering how to best ensure that the rights 
of Canadian creators are adequately protected by law while 
balancing the ability of the public to access copyrighted 
works.  Issues on copyright reform are complex and the input 
that the U.S. Government has provided will be helpful to this 
process. 
 
Please accept my best wishes. 
 
Yours sincerely, 
(signed) 
Bev Oda, P.C., M.P. 
 
cc: The Honourable Maxime Bernier, P.C., M.P. 
    The Honourable David L. Emerson, P.C., M.P. 
 
End text. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Embassy comment:  As far as we know, there has been 
no response yet from Industry Minister Bernier to USTR 
Schwab's letter.  It may be significant that Canadian 
Heritage Minister Oda makes no reference to the GoC's 
anticipated introduction of a new copyright reform bill, 
which had been the reason for Ambassador Schwab's letter.  We 
had been told by GoC officials a number of times during the 
fall that such a bill might be introduced before Parliament's 
Christmas adjournment, but this did not happen.  The 
Ambassador has an appointment to see Minister Bernier on 
December 19, and we will take this opportunity to seek 
clarification on the state of play on the copyright reform 
bill, especially in light of growing media speculation of a 
spring 2007 Federal election.  End comment. 
 
Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa 
 
WILKINS