Industry committee  Actually, it has not been addressed, period. Right now, the way it works is that screenwriters and directors, in the only court case that has ever been brought forward, are considered authors of the audiovisual work. It's actually a problem for you and for copyright holders, because authorship is tied to the life of the author.

Industry committee  I'll say just quickly that screenwriters do live in your communities. They're creators. They do pay taxes. They support families. They need revenue and income to do so. Currently, there are different modes of compensation. Yes, we bargain collectively, but collective bargaining does not cover such things as secondary use.

Industry committee  I don't agree because it's actually an incorrect premise.

Industry committee  That is a writer. That was not Mr. Stohn. That was created by a writer.

Industry committee  That's right, and that writer therefore was the author of that episode. It is a collaborative business—

Industry committee  Sure. We build on series in—

Industry committee  May I say that it's a very big business model? Right now, we do have screenwriters who are the ones who develop script material, who create characters, and who've created the setting. In an ongoing series like a Degrassi, yes, obviously there are pre-existing concepts and pre-existing settings, but those are created and worked with in an individual script.

Industry committee  Right, and that would be the writer of the first script.

Industry committee  There are character royalties. You'd pay certain royalties, etc. The problem with not defining authorship—

Industry committee  Television doesn't work that way. There were probably maybe 50 screenwriters, or maybe 30. Companies go back to the same writers. They use story departments.

Industry committee  Okay. To your point that there are multiples, absolutely, because there are multiple creators, but each episode is a copyrighted work in and of itself. When Mr. Stohn or a producer like him sells a series, he is selling a group of episodes that are individually copyrighted. When you talk about piracy, you're talking about each individual episode, which may be seen without any compensation.

Industry committee  That's correct.

Industry committee  No, we're not expanding it. The current business model—and I cited that in my presentation—and in the only court case that has ever been heard on the topic, the screenwriter and director are the authors. It is the producers who are coming in from a different place.

Industry committee  Thank you.

Industry committee  Can I address the end of that question, please?