One of the disappointing aspects of the U.S.-Canada-Mexico Trade Agreement (USMCA) was the extension of copyright terms to the life of the author plus 70 years, well beyond the international standard of 50 years. One proposal from a committee studying the implementation of the extension was to require that copyright holders be required to register for it. This, says Michael Geist, "would allow for rights holders to easily obtain the additional protection, while ensuring that many works without commercial value enter into the public domain at the current international standard." A consultation document, though, says Geist, seems to oppose this provision, even though the government " knows that copyright term extension is bad policy that will lead to enormous costs for Canadians." The term to respond to the document is very short and expires March 12.
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