Court Hands Teacher’s Copyright Spat Over to Arbitration

COURTHANDSTEACHER’SCOPYRIGHTSPATOVERTOARBITRATION

LaurentCarrièreandAudreyBaltadjian*
LEGERROBICRICHARD
,L.L.P.
Lawyers,PatentandTrademarkAgents
PRECIS:TheQueen’sBenchofSaskatchewanhasconcludedthatitdoesnothave
theappropriatejurisdictiontodetermineaninfringementcasebroughtbyamaths
teacheragainsthisemployer.JusticeGNAllbrightheldthattheTradeUnionAct
limitstheplaintifftopursuinghisgrievancethroughthearbitrationprocessprovided
forinhiscollectiveagreement.
InWiebevSaskatchewanInstituteofAppliedScienceandTechnology(




theQueen’sBenchofSaskatchewanhasconcludedthatitdidnothavethe
appropriatejurisdictiontodeterminethecopyrightinfringementmattersraisedin
WolfgangWiebe’sstatementofclaim,andaccordinglyorderedastayof
proceedingsontheCourtofQueen’sBenchfile.JusticeGNAllbrightheldthat
Section25oftheTradeUnionActlimitsWiebetopursuinghisgrievancethroughthe
arbitrationprocessprovidedforinhiscollectiveagreement.
WiebewasemployedbytheSaskatchewanInstituteofAppliedScienceand
Technology(SIAST)asamathematicsinstructoratthePalliserCampus.Duringthe
courseofhisemploymenthecreatedcourselearningmaterials(themaths
materials)onhisowninitiativeandinhisowntimeoutsidetheSIASTworkplace.
WiebeagreedtoanarrangementwithJohnLandgraf,theprogrammeheadof
mathematicsatPalliser,toallowthemathsmaterialstobeprintedforusebyother
instructorsandtobecirculatedtostudentsontheconditionthathecontinuedtohold
allintellectualpropertyandcopyrightstothem.However,shortlyafterthisthe
SIASTreproducedWiebe’scopyrightedmathsmaterialswithouthisconsent,and
startedsellingthemwithoutanyshareofprofitsgoingtohim.Wiebeclaimed
injunctivereliefanddamages(includinglossofprofitandpunitiveandexemplary
damages)fromtheSIASTasaresultofthebreachofhiscopyrightedwork.
TheSIASTsoughttostrikeWiebe’sstatementofclaim,arguingthatthecourthad
nojurisdictionsincethematterswerelimitedtoanarbitrationprocesspursuantto
Section25oftheTradeUnionAct.Inaddition,theSIASTarguedthattherewasno




























































©CIPS,2007.
*Lawyerandtrade-markagent,LaurentCarrière,isaseniorpartnerwithLEGERROBICRICHARD,
L.L.P.,
amultidisciplinaryfirmoflawyers,andpatentandtrademarkagents.AudreyBaltadjianisan
articlingstudentwiththefirm.PublishedinWorldCopyrightLawReport.Publication328.034.

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causeofactionagainstit,sincethemathsmaterialswere‘workproducts’pursuant
toSection13oftheCopyrightAct,andthecopyrightwasthereforevestedinthe
SIAST,Wiebe’semployer.AsamemberoftheSIAST’sfaculty,Wiebewasa
memberoftheSaskatchewanGovernmentEmployeesUnionandthereforethe
SIASTCurrentCollectiveAgreement,effectivefor2003to2006,appliedtohis
employment.
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.Asaresulttherewere
noissuesregardingSection13(4)relatingtoanassignmentorlackofwritten
assignmentfromtheSIAST.
Finally,thejudgeadoptedtherationalepreviouslyrenderedinListolv
WeyerhaeuserSaskatchewanLtdanddirectedtheentryofastayofproceedingson
Wiebe’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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