“MANDATORY” TARIFFS

The majority reasons established that the power of the Copyright Board to set the terms of a licence under s. 70.2 of the Copyright Act does not include the power to bind the parties to those terms: in the absence of clear authority that this is Parliament’s intent, “the burdens of a license should not be imposed on a user who does not consent to be bound by its terms.” What are the potential implications for other collective societies, copyright users, and the role of Copyright Board? Is this conclusion limited to the Board licenses established pursuant to s. 70.2, or do the reasons extend to other tariffs approved by the Board, essentially debunking the so-called “mandatory tariff” theory?