Section 18 of the act contains rules for copyright in sound recordings. It states that the maker of a sound recording has a copyright, and the sole right to publish it for the first time, reproduce it in any material form and rent it out. The copyright holder may also authorize others to do this on his behalf. This condition only applies if the maker of the sound recording is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
Lawyer Craig Collins-Williams, Stikeman Elliot LLP, writes that on June 2, 2010, Canada's Conservative government proposed Bill-32, an act to amend the Copyright Act. It is also referred to as the Copyright Modernization Act. The proposed bill includes a long list of amendments, like the protection of digital rights management (DRM). Also called "digital locks," DRM is built into digital music and DVDs. These amendments would prohibit the removal of or tampering with DRM.
Maple Leaf Web states that Canada has signed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT). Both aim to address copyright issues--such as file sharing on the internet, via cell phones, or through digital copying programs--on a global level so that similar copyright laws exist across borders.