What
is a copyright?
Copyright means the exclusive right to copy an original literary, dramatic,
musical or artistic work. It also protects performances, sound
recordings, broadcasts and computer programs. In addition to outright copying,
it prevents unauthorized public performance, publishing, translation,
conversion, adaptation, recording or broadcasting of the work or any substantial part of it.
What can be protected?
Copyright applies to original literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works —
whatever the mode or form of expression. To be original, the work must be the
product of the author's skill and labour and must not be copied from another's
work. The originality requirement does not, however, mean that the work must be the
product of genius or noteworthy creative skill or have any artistic
merit. Thus maps or engineering drawings, as well as books, computer programs,
plays, songs, paintings, and photographs are all proper subject matter for
copyright.
What cannot be protected?
Copyright does not protect ideas or concepts. Only a specific expression of an
idea or concept can be protected. For example, the author of a book on the
history of Vancouver would have copyright in that specific book, but could not
prevent publication of another book on the same topic. The copyright only
prevents copying of the way in which the first book expresses the topic.
Subsequent authors must cover the topic in their own words. Similarly, anyone
may photograph or paint a picture of Niagara Falls, Lake Louise or the Empress
Hotel — but must not copy someone else's photograph or painting.
Copyright does not apply to transient occurrences such as sporting events,
although a film, videotape or broadcast of the event would be protected.
Note that while copyright does not protect ideas or concepts, they may be
eligible for patent protection. Please see the Patents FAQ for
further information.
Copyright does not protect titles, names, slogans, or other short word
combinations. These may however be eligible for trademark protection.
Please see the Trademarks FAQ for
further information.
Copyright does not protect features of shape, configuration, patterning or
ornamentation which are applied to useful mass-produced articles. Such features
may however be eligible for industrial design or design patent protection.
Please see the Industrial Design FAQ for
further information.
How long does copyright last?
In most cases, copyright lasts for the lifetime of the author plus 50 years from
the end of the calendar year of his or her death. For works of joint authorship,
the 50-year period runs from the end of the year of death of the author who
dies last. For records, tapes,and photographs (where the original negative was
owned by a corporation not controlled by the photographer) and similar
manufactured devices embodying a copyright work, copyright lasts for 50 years
from the end of the year in which the original master or negative was made.
How
is copyright protection acquired?
In Canada, copyright protection arises automatically for works which are capable
of being protected by copyright, provided that the work is original and:
- the author was a citizen of Canada or a qualifying
foreign country at the time the work was created; or,
- if the work has been published, the first publication
occurred in Canada or in a qualifying foreign country.
Most industrialized countries are qualifying foreign countries
for the purposes of copyright.
Who
owns copyright?
There are a number of exceptions, but in general:
-
initially, the author of a work owns the copyright in that work;
- if the work is an engraving, photograph or portrait
and the original was ordered and paid for by some other person,
then that other person owns the copyright in that work; and,
-
if the author made the work in the course of his or her employment then the
author's employer owns the copyright in that work.
Can ownership of copyright be transferred?
Yes. The owner of the copyright in a work may assign all or part of the
copyright to another party or parties. The assignment must be in writing and be
signed by the owner. Even after assigning copyright, the author of the work can
still claim authorship, restrain modification of the work in certain
circumstances, and prevent the work from being used to endorse commercial
products — unless such rights are waived. Copyright is personal property and
passes to the author's estate upon death, provided that the author retained
ownership of copyright at the time of his or her death.
Does copyright extend to physical objects?
Ownership of copyright is not equivalent to ownership of the physical object(s)
embodying the copyrighted work. For example, the famous author Stephen King
does not own each of the many published copies of the books he has authored.
However, Mr. King is the initial owner of the copyright in the words expressed
in the books he has authored.
Is
it necessary to register copyright?
No. Copyright protection arises automatically in Canada. However, registration
of copyright is desirable if a dispute appears likely, or if some formal
documentary certification of title is desired or required. Copyright protection
is similarly available without registration in the United States and in many
other countries.
What are the advantages of registration?
-
A certificate of Canadian copyright registration confers on the registered
owner the legal presumption that copyright subsists in the work and that the
registrant is the owner of the copyright.
-
A copyright registration can be useful in negotiations involving sale or
licensing of rights in the copyrighted work.
-
The copyright registration is available for public inspection at the Canadian Copyright Office.
-
If a defendant in a copyright infringement action proves that he was not aware,
and had no reasonable grounds for suspecting that copyright subsisted in the
work, then the plaintiff is entitled only to an injunction and not to damages.
However, if copyright in the work was registered at the time of the
infringement, then this defence is not available to the infringer.
Is "©" important?
"The Universal Copyright Convention" typically appears on a published work in this way:
"© 2004, John Smith". In this case, 2004 is the year of first publication of the work
and John Smith is the name of the copyright owner (as discussed above, the owner is not necessarily
the author of the work). There is no legal significance to this notice in
Canada. It does not indicate that the copyright is registered, but it does
notify the reader of the existence of copyright.
What information is needed for copyright registration?
-
the full name and address of the copyright owner;
-
the jurisdiction of incorporation, if the applicant is a corporation;
-
complete information on how the ownership of copyright was acquired, if the
copyright owner is not the author of the work;
-
the full name, address, and citizenship of each author;
-
the title of the work;
- the type of work (i.e. artistic, literary, musical,
dramatic, or any combination); and,
-
the date and place of first publication of the work (i.e., the date and place
at which copies of the work were first distributed to the public), or a
statement that the work has not been published.
A specimen of the work is not required and will not be accepted by the Canadian
Copyright Office. However, it is highly desirable to retain an exact specimen
of the version of the work in which copyright is registered, in case a question
arises as to the nature of that work.
In the United States, a complete copy of the work must be submitted with the
copyright application for retention by the United States Copyright Office.
Exceptions apply to some works, such as computer software.
What does registration cost?
It typically costs about C$600 to register copyright in Canada in a single work, including an initial consultation regarding the registration and the applicable government fees.
What additional requirements does the National Library Act create?
The National Library Act requires that two copies of any new book
published in Canada and one copy of any sound recording manufactured
in Canada, and having some Canadian content, be sent to the National
Library of Canada in Ottawa within one week of publication.
For more information contact
(Oyen Wiggs Green & Mutala LLP)