C
OPYRIGHTINFRINGEMENT-QUEBECCOURTCONFIRMSEXCEPTIONOF
FAIRDEALINGINNEWSREPORTINGCONTEXT
LAURENTCARRIÈREANDIANAALEXOVA*
LEGERROBICRICHARD,
LLP
L
AWYERS,ANDPATENTANDTRADE-MARKAGENTS
InCliniquedelectureetd’écrituredeLaMauricieinc.v.GroupeTVAinc.,[2008
QCCQ4097],theQuebecCourtdismissedplaintiff’sclaimfor$7000indamagesfor
theunlawfulairingofitspublicityfootage.
Initsaction,Cliniquedelectureetd©écrituredeLaMauricieinc.(hereinafter
Clinique)allegedthatthedefendant,GroupeTVAinc.(hereinafterTVA),useda
videorecordingwithoutpermission
.InMarchof2005,defendantairedanewsstory
regardingtheplaintiff,duringwhich,elevensecondsofpictorialfootageoriginating
fromdefendant’spublicitywereused.Insupportofitsclaim,plaintiffproducedtwo
videotapescontainingthetelevisedpublicitythatitusuallyutilizesandpartsof
whichwereshownbythedefendant.Plaintiffsustainsthattheairingoftheimages
wasillegal,sinceitwasdonewithoutanyformofconsent,hence,therequested
compensation.
Asforthedefendant,itsubmittedthattheuseoftherecordingwaslegalsinceitwas
doneinthecontextofapublicnewsreportandthatithascommittednofaultthat
couldresultinanysortofliabilityonitsbehalf.Tothateffect,defendantreferredto
sections29through29.2oftheCopyrightAct,whichdealwithfairdealing
exceptionsforthepurposeofcriticismorreviewandnewsreporting.
ItwastheCourt’sopinionthatthecaseatsteakshouldbeexaminedinlightof
section29.2oftheCopyrightAct,pertainingtofairdealingforthepurposeofnews
reporting.Consequently,afterviewingthesubmittedfootage,theJudgeconcluded
thatTVAactedwithinthescopeofsaidlegalprovisionsandthattheworkin
questionwasfairlyused.
Infact,accordingtoJudgeDeMichele,inorderfortheplaintifftowinitscase,ithad
toprovethatCliniquedidnotfallunderoneoftheexceptionstocopyright