Last Updated on April 28, 2026, 12:15 pm ET
ARL Public Policy Briefing (April 2026)
This month, the Trump administration extended the compliance dates for web content and mobile app accessibility as required by the updated Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II regulations. In a win for the general public and information advocates, a federal court ruled that startup UpCodes can continue to publish copyrighted standards online. Library Copyright Alliance (LCA) counsel Jonathan Band testified in a congressional hearing against the Pro Codes Act, a bill that would grant exclusive control over copyrighted standards to private entities. And, the president’s budget request kicked off the FY 2027 federal appropriations process with proposed cuts to library and research funding agencies.
LCA and CARL joined a letter to delegates of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) supporting a proposal on copyright limitations and exceptions.
Canada held by-elections on April 13 for three ridings previously held by the Liberal Party, which became vacant as former MP Chrystia Freeland was appointed economic advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; former MP Bill Blair was appointed high commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom; and the riding of Terrebonne, Québec, won by Liberal MP Tatiana Auguste, had been highly contested by the Bloc Québécois owing to the slim margin of winning. All three ridings were won by the Liberal candidates. These victories, combined with several floor crossings in the last few months, have given Prime Minister Mark Carney a majority government.
CARL continues to meet with political staff in the offices of the minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) and the minister of Canadian Heritage (PCH), whose portfolios align largely with the work of CARL, particularly in the areas of copyright legislation and artificial intelligence. The meetings were an opportunity for CARL to meet with new policy advisors to reinforce the importance of fair dealing for educational purposes, to share how educational materials are acquired and the associated licensing pitfalls, and to signal libraries’ interest and expertise as it relates to AI.
Read on for more details!
Accessibility |
Copyright and Fair Use/Fair Dealing |
Federal Funding for Library Priorities |
If you have questions or suggestions, please contact Katherine Klosek at kklosek@arl.org.
