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.
2
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.
3
4
ROBIC,ungrouped avocatsetd agentsdebrevetsetdemarquesdecommercevouédepuis1892à
laprotectionetàlavalorisationdelapropriétéintellectuelledanstouslesdomaines:brevets,dessins
industrielsetmodèlesutilitaires;marquesdecommerce,marquesdecertificationetappellations
d origine;droitsd auteur,propriétélittéraireetartistique,droitsvoisinsetdel artisteinterprète;
informatique,logicielsetcircuitsintégrés;biotechnologies,pharmaceutiquesetobtentionsvégétales;
secretsdecommerce,know-howetconcurrence;licences,franchisesettransfertsdetechnologies;
commerceélectronique,distributionetdroitdesaffaires;marquage,publicitéetétiquetage;poursuite,
litigeetarbitrage;vérificationdiligenteetaudit.ROBIC,agroupoflawyersandofpatentand
trademarkagentsdedicatedsince1892totheprotectionandthevalorizationofallfieldsof
intellectualproperty:patents,industrialdesignsandutilitypatents;trademarks,certificationmarksand
indicationsoforigin;copyrightandentertainmentlaw,artistsandperformers,neighbouringrights;
computer,softwareandintegratedcircuits;biotechnologies,pharmaceuticalsandplantbreeders;
tradesecrets,know-how,competitionandanti-trust;licensing,franchisingandtechnologytransfers;
e-commerce,distributionandbusinesslaw;marketing,publicityandlabelling;prosecutionlitigation
andarbitration;duediligence.
COPYRIGHTER
IDEASLIVEHERE
ILATOUTDEMÊMEFALLUL INVENTER!
LAMAÎTRISEDESINTANGIBLES
LEGERROBICRICHARD
NOSFENÊTRESGRANDESOUVERTESSURLEMONDEDESAFFAIRES
PATENTER
R
ROBIC
ROBIC+DROIT+AFFAIRES+SCIENCES+ARTS
ROBIC++++
ROBIC+LAW+BUSINESS+SCIENCE+ART
THETRADEMARKERGROUP
TRADEMARKER
VOSIDÉESÀLAPORTÉEDUMONDE,DESAFFAIRESÀLAGRANDEURDELAPLANÈTE
YOURBUSINESSISTHEWORLDOFIDEAS;OURBUSINESSBRINGSYOURIDEASTOTHE
WORLD