C-294 – An Act to amend the Copyright Act (interoperability) – would add an exception to the Copyright Act to allow people to get around copyright protections on software for the purposes of making the software, or a device it’s embedded in, interoperable with any other software or device. It would also make it legal to manufacture a product that does this.
Second Reading
C-294 passed its Second Reading vote with everyone voting in favour of it.
Committee Amendments
During the committee step some changes were made to C-294. Most of the changes are just clarifying when the new exception applies and it does not. For example, if you commit any other acts of copyright infringement when attempting to make software work on a different device then you no longer get the exception, nor will you be protected for the bypass if you’re going against any other legislation. It also clarifies that these protections only apply to software that was obtained legally, you can’t pirate software and attempt to make it run on a different device.
Current Status
C-294 passed its Third Reading with everyone voting in favour on June 14, 2023. It’s now just waiting for Royal Assent.