Copyright merger in the works

Interesting developments from the copyright front, in the form of a posting on the This Magazine blog by John Degen, the Executive Director of the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC). Here is part of his news:

Access Copyright, at their annual general meeting last week, announced a groundbreaking partnership agreement with Creative Commons Canada. The two copyright licensing agencies are combining to form a third entity to be known as the Canadian Public Domain Registry. You can read all about it in many, many places. Start with the Access Copyright website, and the Creative Commons site. Scoot on over the Creator's Copyright Coalition to get the opinion of a large number of Canada's traditional creator groups. Michael Geist gives qualified support for the project over at his blog, and word is the news is traveling at speed through Canada's education and library sector.