Language and discourse in the Copyright Act review

What conclusions can be drawn from the briefs submitted to the INDU committee by stakeholders during the Copyright Act review? This presentation will share some early results of our investigation into the language and substance of the briefs. Many recommendations have been put forward by stakeholders, and in addition to the content a range of language and arguments from emotional to practical have been used in the briefs. This reflects the wider discourse and polarization of viewpoints in Canada around copyright reform and fair dealing in particular. These briefs provide a snapshot of the copyright landscape in Canada at this time. We have begun analysing the text in the briefs using a Grounded Theory method. We hope to pull out themes and look at the ways arguments have been made by different parties, and eventually look for connections with the outcomes of the review.