Arbitrator, Not the Court, to decide on Copyright Dispute

2007-01-01

ARBITRATOR,NOTTHECOURT,TODECIDEONCOPYRIGHTDISPUTE

LAURENTCARRIÈREANDAUDREYBALTADJIAN*
LEGERROBICRICHARD,
LLP
L
AWYERS,PATENTANDTRADEMARKAGENTS

InWiebevSaskatchewanInstituteofAppliedScienceandTechnology[2007SKQB
60]theQueen’sBenchofSaskatchewanhasconcludedthatitdidnothavethe
appropriatejurisdictiontodeterminethecopyrightinfringementmattersraisedin
WolfgangWiebe’sstatementofclaim,andaccordinglyorderedastayofproceedings
ontheCourtofQueen’sBenchfile.JusticeGNAllbrightheldthatSection25ofthe
TradeUnionActlimitsWiebetopursuinghisgrievancethroughthearbitration
processprovidedforinhiscollectiveagreement.
WiebewasemployedbytheSaskatchewanInstituteofAppliedScienceand
Technology
(SIAST)asamathematicsinstructoratthePalliserCampus.Duringthe
courseofhisemploymenthecreatedcourselearningmaterials(themathsmaterials)
onhisowninitiativeandinhisowntimeoutsidetheSIASTworkplace.
WiebeagreedtoanarrangementwithJohnLandgraf,theprogrammeheadof
mathematicsatPalliser,toallowthemathsmaterialstobeprintedforusebyother
instructorsandtobecirculatedtostudentsontheconditionthathecontinuedtohold
allintellectualpropertyandcopyrightstothem.However,shortlyafterthistheSIAST
reproducedWiebe’scopyrightedmathsmaterialswithouthisconsent,andstarted
sellingthemwithoutanyshareofprofitsgoingtohim.Wiebeclaimedinjunctiverelief
anddamages(includinglossofprofitandpunitiveandexemplarydamages)fromthe
SIASTasaresultofthebreachofhiscopyrightedwork.
TheSIASTsoughttostrikeWiebe’sstatementofclaim,arguingthatthecourthadno
jurisdictionsincethematterswerelimitedtoanarbitrationprocesspursuantto
Section25oftheTradeUnionAct.Inaddition,theSIASTarguedthattherewasno
causeofactionagainstit,sincethemathsmaterialswere’workproducts’pursuantto
Section13oftheCopyrightAct,andthecopyrightwasthereforevestedintheSIAST,
Wiebe’semployer.AsamemberoftheSIAST’sfaculty,Wiebewasamemberofthe

CIPS,2007.
*Lawyerandtrade-markagent,LaurentCarrière,isaseniorpartnerwithLEGERROBICRICHARD,
L.L.P.,amultidisciplinaryfirmoflawyers,andpatentandtrademarkagents.AudreyBaltadjianisan
articlingstudentwiththefirm.Publishedat[2007-05-17]WorldCopyrightLawReportunderthetitle
Nulpointsforcopyrightclaimfortalentshowguidelines.Publication328.033.

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SaskatchewanGovernmentEmployeesUnionandthereforetheSIASTCurrent
CollectiveAgreement,effectivefor2003to2006,appliedtohisemployment.
ThejudgewasoftheopinionthatWiebe’sstatementofclaimwasnotscandalous,
frivolousorvexatious,orotherwiseanabuseofprocess,sincetheallegedcausesof
actionwererecognizedatlawandthestatementofclaimhadsetforthafactual
backdropprovidingafoundationfortheapplicationofthecausesofaction.
Asforthecopyrightofthemathsmaterials,thejudgeconcludedthatalthoughWiebe
wasintheSIAST’semploymentattherelevanttime,theworkwasnotmadeinthe
courseofhisemployment.Therefore,thecriteriasetforthinSection13(3)ofthe
CopyrightActhadnotbeenestablishedandtheemployercouldnothavebeen
consideredasthefirstownerofthecopyright.Heexplainedthatthewritingofthe
materialswasirrelevanttoWiebe’semploymentandthepurposeofhisemployment
wasnottoactasanauthor.Forthisreason,thejudgedecidedthatthegoverning
portionoftheactwasSection13(1)ratherthanSection13(3),wheretheauthor,in
thiscaseWiebe,isthefirstownerofthecopyrightmaterial.Asaresulttherewereno
issuesregardingSection13(4)relatingtoanassignmentorlackofwritten
assignmentfromtheSIAST.
Finally,thejudgeadoptedtherationalepreviouslyrenderedinListolvWeyerhaeuser
SaskatchewanLtd[2004SKQB49]anddirectedtheentryofastayofproceedings
onWiebe’sclaim,basedonhisconclusionthatthecourtwaswithoutjurisdictionto
determinethemattersatissue.ThejudgereasonedthatArticle26oftheSIAST
CurrentBargainingAgreementdelineatescircumstancessurrounding”SIAST
ownership”andthereforeappliestodisputesastotheownershipoverlearning
coursematerialscreatedbyoneoftheemployees.ThejudgealsoreliedonSection
25oftheTradeUnionAct,whichmandatesthatalldifferencesbetweenpartiestoa
collectivebargainingagreementaretobesettledbyarbitrationafterexhaustingany
grievanceprocedure,foundinanapplicablecollectivebargainingagreement.
Basedonthisinterpretation,thejudgefoundthat,forresolutionpurposes,the
mattersinthiscasewerelimitedtothearbitrationprocessarticulatedintheSIAST
collectivebargainingagreement.
Theoutcomeofthiscopyrightownershipdisputeremainstobeseen;itisnowatthe
mercyofthearbitrator.

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