The bill sparked a furore among creative professions because it would have given their employers the rights to what they produced.

In practice this would have meant, for example, that a venue that hires a band could record and distribute that concert without paying the band royalties for the music. Or that a school would automatically own the rights to teaching materials that a teacher writes.

Employer organisations, on the other hand, felt the bill did not go far enough. They wanted the legislation to grant them even greater rights to use and distribute material. They feel that what employees produce during working hours naturally belongs to the employer.

Wallin says he won't take the proposal further nor will he posit changes to the bill. He says he does not wish to weaken the job security and rights of people doing creative work. With opinions on the issue so inflamed, Wallin says he does not believe the matter will be revisited by the current government.