VANCOUVER — Key members of the B.C. industry want their position on the CRTC’s review of the Canadian Television Fund on the record, and presented five recommendations, including ownership of copyright by producers and the need for reliable funding, at a press conference on Thursday.

‘This is a very, very important matter to B.C…. The CTF is the creative engine of our industry. It’s critical to have the CTF in some form,’ said B.C. Film chair Michael Francis, speaking at the Studio B Production offices in Vancouver.

Copyright is one of the group’s major concerns. The film and TV-makers want to ensure ownership of copyright by independent film and TV producers, including the right to exploit digital and online content.

‘Intellectual property rights are vital. Copyright belongs to creators – it’s a hard and fast principle for us. Nobody would be successful without ownership – otherwise I’d be doing service work for Disney,’ said Chris Haddock (DaVinci’s Inquest).

The group is also calling for the review of CTF to be public, with input from all stakeholders; for funding to remain in place during the review; and for the CRTC to discourage the rise of private funds controlled by cable and satellite providers. Equally critical to the group is that contributions to CTF from the private sector must not be reduced or capped, and that funding must grow as the industry grows.

‘When the cable companies stopped funding, we were alarmed. We have to have CTF in some form, our successes have been built upon a regime of public benefits,’ says Francis.