Digital Copyright Law

Digital Copyright Law Cameron Hutchison (Irwin Law Inc.: Toronto, 2016)

It is difficult to over-emphasize the impact that the Internet and the digital technologies that support the Internet have had on copyright law. From electronic books and articles to streaming music and videos, these technologies have changed the way copyrighted works are purchased, consumed, created, and shared. This change also presents significant interpretive challenges for those using copyright to protect (or use) creative works. It is no wonder, then, that digital copyright law is one of the hottest and most complicated topics for copyright owners and users, as well as legal professionals and laypersons working in areas related to copyright law.

Professor Cameron Hutchison's new book, Digital Copyright Law, provides a useful survey of the application of copyright law to digital works in Canada. While there are many other excellent books that provide comprehensive treatments of Canadian Copyright law, Digital Copyright Law is unique as it focuses solely on digital copyright, addressing a gap in the literature in Canada. In the introduction, Hutchison states that the aim of this book is to take an objective approach to "introducing to the legal community and educated laypersons the full range of legal issues, big and small, that animate this novel area of Canadian law and of doing so in an accessible manner."1 This approach, which is comprehensive in its coverage of the relevant statutory requirements, the case law, and the implications of digital technologies on copyright, makes this title both an engaging read and a fantastic addition to any legal reference collection.

Dr. Cameron Hutchison is a professor at the University of Alberta who has written extensively about the relationship between digital technologies and copyright law. His previous papers are on topics such as technological neutrality, fair use and fair dealing and statutory interpretation. This is Dr. Hutchison's first book.

Hutchison introduces the book by noting that the purpose of copyright law is to promote "the generation of knowledge and culture in society,"2 a purpose that is often portrayed as a balance in legal discourse between the interests of copyright creators and users. He eloquently explains how digital technologies have disrupted copyright, prompting changes in both the interpretation and the statutory requirements of the Copyright Act. Hutchison...