Infringing Work on Protest Banner is Struck out

I
NFRINGINGWORKONPROTESTBANNERISSTRUCKOUT

LAURENTCARRIÈREANDAUDREYBALTADJIAN*
LEGERROBICRICHARD
,L.L.P.
L
AWYERS,PATENTANDTRADEMARKAGENTS
PRECIS:AQuebeccourthasgrantedaninterlocutoryinjunctiontorefraintwo
divisionsoftheCanadianUnionofPublicEmployeesfromusingamodifiedversion
ofanartisticworkownedbySunMediaCorporationonaprotestbanner.Thejudge
concludedthattheCopyrightActdoesnotrestrictthedefendants’righttofreedomof
expression.
InCorporationSunMédiavSyndicatcanadiendelafonctionpubliquetheQuebec
SuperiorCourthasgrantedaninterlocutoryinjunctiontorefraintwodivisionsofthe
CanadianUnionofPublicEmployees(CUPE)fromfurtherinfringinganartisticwork
ownedbySunMediaCorporation.JudgeRaymondWPronovostconcludedthatthe
CopyrightActdoesnotrestrictthedefendants’righttofreedomofexpression,
protectedbytheCanadianCharterofRightsandFreedomsoftheCanadaAct.
OnApril222007Sunannouncedalock-outagainsttwoQuebecdivisionsofthe
CUPE.ThiswasfollowedbyastrikebytheCUPEonthesameday.Duringthe
strike,thedefendantsstartedpicketingwiththehelpofabanneronwhichwas
placedSun’scopyrightedartisticwork,withoutSun’sauthorization.Defendantsalso
placedthecopyrightedworkontheirwebsite,againwithoutpermission.Sun
thereforeclaimedinjunctiverelieffromthedefendants,asaresultofthebreachof
itscopyrights.
Sunistheownerofanartisticwork,consistingofadrawingofaredrectangle,on
whichareinscribedthewords“lejournaldequébec”,inwhite,followedbythewords
“No1”inyellow.DefendantsadmittedthatthisdrawingwasprotectedbySection
13(1)oftheCopyrightAct,andalsoadmittedthatSunwasinfactthelegalholderof
thecopyrightsvestedinthisartisticwork.
Duringtrial,thedefendantscontestedtheclaimedinjunction.First,theyarguedthat
therewasnoevidenceofinfringementsincetheworkhadbeenmodifiedbythe

©CIPS,2007.*Lawyerandtrade-markagent,LaurentCarrière,isaseniorpartnerwithLEGERROBICRICHARD,
L.L.P.,
amultidisciplinaryfirmoflawyers,andpatentandtrademarkagents.AudreyBaltadjianisan
articlingstudentwiththefirm.Publishedinthe2007-07-19issueofWorldCopyrightLawReport.
Publication328.035.

2
additionofvarioustextsandlogosrepresentingeachoftheunionsonstrike.
Second,themodificationsweretobeconsideredasfairdealingforthepurposeof
criticism,andthusfellunderSection29oftheCopyrightAct,whichprovidesforan
exceptiontoinfringement.Finally,thedefendantsclaimedthattheirpicketingwas
doneinapeacefulmannerandthemessagesentoutbythebannerswasnot
libellousorhateful.Hence,aninjunctionwouldwronglypreventthemfromenjoying
theirfreedomofexpression,asperSection2bofthecharter,andthattheCopyright
Actcouldnotgosofaraslimitingtheprovisionsofthecharter.
Basedonthedefinitionof‘infringing’setoutinSection2oftheact,thejudge
concludedthatthedefendantshadindeedinfringedSun’scopyrightedwork.
Moreover,hereiteratedthataccordingtoSection3(1),Sunhadthesolerightto
produceorreproducethecopyrightedworkandtoauthorizesuchacts.Also,itwas
inadmissibletoconsidertheadditionstotheworkasrenderingitanewartisticwork
oraformofcriticismaspermittedbytheact.Onthecontrary,thedefendants
reproducedasubstantialpartofthecopyrightedwork,whichconfirmedthefactthat
therewasinfringement,sinceSunneverauthorizedsuchuseofthework.
Thejudgeexplainedthatthedefendants’freedomofexpression(setoutinSection
2bofthecharterandSection3oftheCharterofHumanRightsandFreedoms)
shouldbeexercisedwithcautionbyrespectingthelimitssetoutinvariousciviland
criminallaws.Therighttoexpressamessageduringalabourdispute,as
recognizedinlabourlaw,cannotbeusedasajustificationtousethecopyrighted
workofanother.
Thecourtalsoreviewedthethreebasiccriteriaappliedtointerlocutoryinjunction
applications,establishedinSection752oftheCodeofCivilProcedureinorderto
assessifSunshouldsucceed:
·Isthereanappearanceofright?
·Doesthebalanceofconvenienceunfairlyfavouroneparty?
·Willtheplaintiffssufferirreparableharmiftheinjunctionisnotgranted?
ThejudgedecidedthatSunhaddemonstratedaclearright,sinceitscopyrighted
workwasbeinginfringedandithadeveryrighttoaskthecourtforthe
discontinuanceofsuchillegaluse,asperSection34(1)oftheCopyrightAct.
Inregardstothebalanceofconvenience,thejudgefounditirrelevanttoanalyzethis
questionfurther,sinceSun’srighthadclearlybeenestablished.Nevertheless,he
mentionedthatthedefendantswouldnotsufferanyprejudicebybeingforcedto
stopusingthecopyrightedwork:theywouldstillbeabletosendoutthesame
messageduringtheirstrike,eveniftheywereunabletoaccessSun’scopyrighted
work.Finally,thejudgeconcludedthatSunwouldsufferirreparableharmifthe
injunctionwasnotgranted,sinceitwouldlosecontrolovertheuseofitscopyrighted

3
work.Asaresultofthisanalysis,thejudgegrantedaninterlocutoryinjunctionto
Sun,tobeinforceuntiltherenderingofthefinaljudgment.

4
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