Why Access Copyright matters

I recently received my Access Copyright payment for this year, and it’s an important reminder of how critical it is that creators receive compensation for their work. (Scowls in the general direction of AI companies that rip off writers.)

Access Copyright is another great Canadian program that ensures writers and publishers are compensated for their work being copied.

How it works

Access Copyright negotiates blanket licences with institutions that typically make copies of books, poems, articles, etc. to allow for such copying in return for compensation which it then distributes to writers and publishers.

Experience has proven that without such licences creators rarely get paid for use of their work, as those doing the copying don’t usually go through the effort of tracking down the rights holders and asking permission to copy, let alone offering compensation.

Why it matters

Canadian publishing is chronically underfunded and most publishers survive season to season. Canadian writers fare no better, with most authors earning low advances and having to cobble together an existence of different income streams.

The Canadian bookselling marketplace has largely been colonized by American culture over the past few decades, and it’s commonly estimated that Canadian authors only account for around 5% of Canadian book sales. In an environment like this, every bit of income matters to struggling creators.

The simple math of the situation is that if creators aren’t paid for their work, they’ll need to find other work to survive and that means they’ll be creating less. Each dollar invested in their support is a dollar invested in a new creation.

Access Copyright licences also protect the institutions behind the copying from infringement. There’s little danger of them being sued if they’re paying for the right to copy, and those doing the copying can do so knowing it’s legal and ethical.

Thanks

All of this is to say many thanks to Access Copyright and the people that keep it running for all they do to protect and support Canadian culture!