Canada and the US A Tale of Independence

 How Do Canadian Cultural Policies Compare to Those of Other Countries? Canada is not alone in its attempts to advance culture and cultural enterprises. Offering financial assistance Many governments, including Canada, provide direct support to their cultural sectors. For example: The European Union's MEDIA II initiative offers grants and loans to "promote the development of [film] production projects...aimed at the European market". The United Kingdom provides subsidies for a wide range of creative activities through the Art Councils, which are supported by lotteries, while the British Film Institute offers direct funds for film creation and exhibition. France's Centre National de la Cinématographie supports film production with special cinema taxes. Any producer of fiction, animation, cultural shows, or documentaries whose work has been broadcast on French television is automatically eligible for a grant from the country's Film and Television Industry Support Fund. The largest of Germany's federal film grants, the Filmforderungsanstalt, supports feature film and short film production, script development, exhibition, training, and research. In Italy, the Sezione di Credito Cinematografico e Teatrale (SPA) is a credit institution that provides loans for audio-visual production and advances payments on the proceeds from the sale of national productions overseas. The Swedish Film Institute provides film production funding from a levy on cinema tickets and video rentals, as well as public funds.

The National Endowment for the Arts provides direct support for everything from literature to play.

Protecting Intellectual Property. Countries have collaborated to defend intellectual property rights through a number of international accords dating back to the late 1880s. However, piracy of sound records, books, videotapes, software, and even broadcast signals remains a global problem. The most serious and costly danger to intellectual property comes from countries that have yet to enact intellectual property laws or lack the resources or motivation to enforce them. Copyright and neighbouring rights Copyright and neighboring rights protection provide major incentives for creators. They also contribute to the growth and sustainability of large information and copyright-based enterprises competing in global markets, as well as effective means for countries to coordinate their policies in a global market characterized by changing economic, social, cultural, and technological development. Canada, like other countries, is a signatory to a number of international accords. For example:

The Berne Convention on the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (1971) covers 131 nations. The World Trade Organization's agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) applies to 132 nations. The Rome Convention on the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms, and Broadcasting Organizations (1961) applies to 57 countries. Despite the high number of countries that have signed these agreements, practices around the world differ substantially. For example, some countries have longer copyright durations and more generous neighbouring rights protection than others. Some countries protect performers and producers of both audio and audio-visual works, whereas others exclusively protect audio recordings. Some governments provide protection for a wide range of purposes, while others exclude specific uses. Finally, certain governments ensure generous royalty levels, whereas others simply provide modest sums.

Several countries have a private copying scheme that compensates authors, performers, and creators of audio and/or audiovisual material.

However, protection and pay levels differ widely across countries. Some countries that offer a private copying scheme do not always include both audio and audio-visual private copying. Some levies apply to both hardware (i.e., reproduction machines) and recording medium, whereas others just charge for recording media. The majority of countries' systems exclusively apply to private copying on analog media, while only a few limit their schemes to digital reproduction. Many countries do not have private copying mechanisms in place, but do make an exception for private usage. Different interpretations of countries' duties under the Berne and Rome agreements result in significant differences in whether governments provide private copying benefits outside their own borders. Some countries' tax-based plans exclusively benefit their own inhabitants, whilst others use the cash to recompense all producers. Most provide private copying benefits on a reciprocal basis. Regulating content standards is a typical cultural policy tactic. France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Australia, for example, have all imposed domestic content rules on television, radio, film, and pay-TV services. The European Union (EU) introduced laws in 1989 requiring that the "majority" of broadcasting time devoted to fiction programming originate in the EU. Countries inside the EU have gone even further, establishing particular standards that differ based on the country and the media. For example, France has mandated that 60% of its programming be European and 40% French, and that all private and public radio stations dedicate 40% of their prime airtime to French tunes.

In France, cinemas must reserve five weeks per quarter for French feature films and four weeks per quarter for theatres

that screened a French short over the preceding six weeks. Spain's theaters must show one new EU film for every three days of non-EU films. Mexico compels movie theaters to allocate 10% of their screen time to domestic films, down from 30% in 1993. Using Different Measures

Some countries take additional steps to regulate access to their broadcast and film sectors. For example: The Italian government rebates box office taxes for theatres that show Italian films. Spain has a dubbing license system in place; film distributors may only obtain a dubbing license for international films if they agree to release a specified number of Spanish films. Foreign film dubbing is prohibited in Mexico, with the exception of instructional and children's films. The Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) movie rating system is used in the United States to limit film distribution. Independent and foreign filmmakers say the system is unduly punitive in assigning ratings to their films. A Comparison of Domestic Television Broadcast Content Requirements. Country Requirement 55% from Australia and Canada.16 to 100% based on the type of the service. France: 60% European, 40% French. Restricting foreign investment and ownership. Most governments impose some limits on foreign ownership. However, when it comes to regulating investment in cultural industries, countries are more likely to limit foreign ownership in broadcasting than in magazine, publishing, or film distribution. (Only a handful of countries forbid foreign investment in certain cultural industries.) National policies on investment in the broadcast business differ greatly. Some governments prohibit all foreign investment in the news media, broadcasting, and television sectors, while most countries impose a preset limit on foreign investment, particularly in the television industry.