Board Members
The Honourable Luc Martineau
The Honourable Luc Martineau was appointed Chair of the Copyright Board of Canada in October 2020 for a five-year term. Justice Martineau was a sitting judge of the Federal Court until his retirement on August 30, 2021. He was appointed Judge of the Federal Court of Canada, Trial Division and ex officio member of the Court of Appeal on January 25, 2002, and Judge of the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada on April 18, 2002. On July 2, 2003, the date of the coming into force of the Courts Administration Service Act, he became Judge of the Federal Court. Justice Martineau was also a member and then President of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Tribunal from 2007 to 2014. Prior to this, Justice Martineau established his own firm as a lawyer, arbitrator and mediator in Montréal from 1996 to 2002. He was a partner at Langlois Robert from 1990 to 1996 and an associate and partner at Robert, Dansereau, Barré, Marchessault & Lauzon in Montréal from 1981 to 1990.
Justice Martineau was Legal Counsel to the President of the Canada Labour Relations Board from 1979 to 1981. Justice Martineau holds a LL.L (1977) and LL.M (1985) from the University of Ottawa.
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Credit: Richard Tardif Photography
Drew Olsen
Vice-Chair and CEO
Drew Olsen was appointed Vice Chair of the Copyright Board of Canada in August 2024 for a five year term. Prior to this, he was an executive and Associate Director General at Canadian Heritage, where his responsibilities included providing advice and recommendations on cultural sector funding support policies and programs, and for legislative policy issues related to broadcasting policy and copyright policy. In particular, he led the recent review of the Broadcasting Act culminating in passage of the Online Streaming Act in 2023 and was responsible for the 2012 modernization of the Copyright Act. He has also held other positions at the CRTC, at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and at Industry Canada. He served as an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) and was the Government representative during the transition of the “.ca” domain from the University of British Columbia to CIRA. He has represented Canada at the Governmental Advisory Committee of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, at the World Intellectual Property Organization, and in international trade negotiations on copyright. He also served on the Secretariat of the National Broadband Task Force, where he built an economic model to cost broadband deployment to all Canadian communities.
He holds an M.A. in Economics from the University of Toronto, a B.A. in Economics from Simon Fraser University, and an L.L.B. from the University of British Columbia.
Daniela Bassan
Member
Daniela Bassan was appointed as a part-time Member of the Copyright Board in December 2024 for a three-year term. With over 20 years of experience in intellectual property law and commercial litigation, she is a partner and trademark agent at Stewart McKelvey in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she chairs the firm’s IP/IT Practice Group. Ms. Bassan has represented clients in a variety of matters, including trademark, patent and copyright disputes, international arbitration, and class-action lawsuits. Her professional experience includes appearances before the Supreme Court of Canada, provincial and federal courts, and specialized tribunals.
Beyond her legal practice, Ms. Bassan is a speaker and educator, sharing her expertise through webinars, courses, and conferences. She has extensive board experience across the private, public, and non-profit sectors. Appointed King’s Counsel of Nova Scotia in 2020, Ms. Bassan is an advocate for legal innovation and technology, particularly in the area of e-discovery.
Ms. Bassan holds an LL.M. from Harvard Law School (2002) and an LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School (1996).
Katherine Braun
Member
Katherine Braun was appointed part-time Member in November 2018 for a four-year term. Her mandate was extended for another four years in November 2022. Ms. Braun is an economist whose career includes service with the United Nations working in collaboration with several international agencies on international development projects. She has also worked on public policy with the governments of Ontario and Alberta. Ms. Braun holds an MBA from the University of Saskatchewan as well as a Master’s Degree in economics from the University of Geneva.
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Credit: Richard Tardif Photography
René Côté
Member
Mr. Côté was appointed part-time Member in November 2018 for a four-year term. His mandate was extended for another four years in November 2022. Additionally, Mr. Côté is a retired professor of law at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). Before that, M. Côté was Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Political Science and Law Faculty of UQAM. On June 30, 2020, M. Côté was appointed President of the Conseil de la justice administrative du Québec. He has a particular interest in law as it relates to technologies and has authored many publications in the fields of computer law, international law and intellectual property law. Mr. Côté holds a doctorate in public international law from the Université Paris X Nanterre and an LL.B. from UQAM.
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Credit: Richard Tardif Photography