The federal government is working on new copyright legislation that would give visual artists a share of profits when collectors resell their work, sometimes for many thousands of dollars more than they paid.
Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez are drawing up provisions for a "resale right" that would give artists royalties during the copyright period, Canadian Press reports.
The move is aimed at assisting Canadian artists, whose median income from all sources is around $20,000 a year, according to the 2016 federal census. Currently, artists earn nothing when collectors resell their work.
"Our government is currently advancing work on potential amendments to the Copyright Act to further protect artists, creators and copyright holders," said Laurie Bouchard, a spokeswoman for Champagne. "Resale rights for artists are indeed an important step toward improving economic conditions for artists in Canada."
CARFAC, which represents Canadian artists, has long argued that artists should get a share of any increased value of their work sold in the secondary market, including auctions. It suggests five per cent of the value of the resold work should end up in artists' pockets.
Some 90 countries, including Britain and France, have such resale rights, CARFAC says.
Source: Canadian Press