The Canadian Association of Photographers and Illustrators in Communications (CAPIC) was created in 1978 as a national non-profit association dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the rights and interests of photographers and illustrators working in the Communication Arts. From small beginnings as a single chapter, CAPIC has grown to span the country with Chapters from Halifax to Vancouver and a membership consisting of the premiere professionals in the country.
The association's interest in Copyright is longstanding. The Letters Patent of the Association establish the objects as including
It is important to understand the unique characteristics of the CAPIC membership. CAPIC members create the photographs and illustrations which are reproduced in published materials of all types. This includes editorial, advertising, education, books, brochures and periodicals.
In fact a principal requirement of membership is reproduction and distribution of the member's work. CAPIC is not an association of wedding photographers nor is it an association of artists producing single pieces of "fine art." CAPIC members provide the visual content of the information highway and play a key role in defining the Canadian identity and point of view.
The industry which CAPIC members are part of has been on the"bleeding edge" of technological change. The past ten years have seen the demise of the typesetting industry, the introduction,development and maturation of electronic photo retouching, creation of photo CD's, and the growth of computer based illustration.
CAPIC has maintained close liaison with international associations of similar purpose and composition including the American Society of Media Photographers and the Graphic Design Guild.
In 1992-1993 CAPIC participated in the Department of Communications Consultative Committee advising the government with respect revisions of the Copyright Act.
In early 1994, CAPIC created a Digital Technology Committee (DTC)to bring together leading stakeholders in the digital revolution. The members of the Committee include representatives from the major hardware, software and imaging technology companies in addition to the legal, publishing and design sectors. Finally the committee includes CAPIC members of national reputation in the development of visual communications.
CAPIC believes that copyright legislation must ensure the ongoing protection of all creators. This is no altruism. Ultimately new creations are normally the work of a single creator. Compilers, assemblers and committees are limited to the quality of work prepared by or under the control of individual creators. If talented creators are driven away from creation by the difficulty of obtaining economic return we will come full circle to one of the premises of the technological revolution "GIGO" (Garbage In,Garbage Out).
Although CAPIC does not agree that the SubCommittee has identified all the relevant issues, we have chosen to respond directly to the issues raised in the Preliminary Report and arrange our response in a parallel structure. We have raised only one specific additional issue related to the term of Copyright on photographs.
Although the SubCommittee reports unanimity was achieved on all issues, it is apparent that this is reflective of the extremely limited range of representation on the SubCommittee.
The inclusion of the views of the authors of visual, textual and audio copyright works in the final report will result in significantly improved recommendations designed to lead Canada into the 21st century.