Thursday, May 07, 2009

Class action suit settled

From PWAC

CTVglobemedia announced earlier this week that they have agreed to pay $11 million to settle the class action suit launched 13 years ago by Heather Robertson on behalf of thousands of freelance writers claiming their work was reproduced electronically without proper permission or compensation.

"The Professional Writers Association of Canada is thrilled with the news of the settlement. This has been a long ongoing process and we appreciate Heather Robertson taking the lead role in the battle for the protection of writers' rights," said PWAC President, Tanya Gulliver. "As freelancers we want to be fairly compensated for the work that we do, and want to ensure that publishers recognize the value of our work. This settlement, stemming from the Supreme Court decision in 2006 that supported our position that freelancers own control of their work unless otherwise agreed upon, is historic and a great achievement for the freelance writing industry."

PWAC and Ms. Robertson, a founding member of PWAC, are optimistic that the settlement will expedite a positive outcome in other pending lawsuits and set a precedent protecting creators' intellectual property rights and ensure fair compensation for digital exploitation of their work.

Ms. Robertson would also like to thank PWAC and the many individual members who have vocally supported her over the years and provided financial assistance to help cover her legal costs.

Ms. Robertson and her legal representatives will be publishing a full version of the settlement and a notice to claimants in the Globe and Mail and the National Post on Saturday.