The Centre for Canadian Copyright Law recognizes that Canadian copyright law is unique as are the copyright laws in each country. Below we provide Canadian copyright law resources, opportunities to learn more about Canadian copyright law, and updates on recent copyright news in Canada.
Learn About Canadian Copyright Law
All of our copyright courses address copyright management and copyright issues relevant to Canadians. As well, we offer two online courses that specifically deal with Canadian copyright law issues:
- Certificate in Canadian Copyright Law (a comprehensive course on how to manage Canadian and global copyright issues)
- Canadian Copyright Law eTutorial (a primer/refresher). Nouveau! Le quiz final dans ce cours est disponible en anglais ou français. Vous pouvez le compléter dans la langue de votre choix.
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Canadian Copyright Law Articles
Below are practical and plain English resources to start your research in Canadian copyright law.
- 10 Myths About Canadian Copyright Law
- 8 Facts About Canadian Copyright Law
- The Balance in Canadian Copyright Law
- Who Owns Copyright in Canada?
- Duration of Copyright in Canada
- Moral Rights in Canadian Copyright Law
- Orphan Works in Canada: Unlocatable Copyright Owners
- Canadian Versus U.S. Copyright Law
- Canadian Librarians and International Copyright
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Canadian Copyright Law Information Provided by the Centre for Canadian Copyright Law
- COVID-19 and Copyright Resources includes Canadian, U.S. and other resources for using copyright materials during COVID-19
- Decision rendered 22 April 2020 in York University's appeal to the recent federal court fair dealing decision against them initiated by Access Copyright. Here's an analysis by Lisa Di Valentino: Education is the key: discussion of Access Copyright v. York University (2020 FCA 77). On 15 October 2020, the Supreme Court of Canada granted applications brought by both York University and Access Copyright for leave to appeal the Federal Court of Appeal decision.
- See another recent interesting fair dealing decision, Wiseau Studio v. Harper
- Read about possible changes to the Canadian copyright law that would create a droit de suite and help artists participate in the gain of their artwork. See CBC story (posted 10 September 2022), Possible Copyright Changes Could Mean More Money for Inuit Artists.
Copibec and Université Laval
In late September 2017, Copibec announced its copyright challenge in Canada against Université Laval. On 13 November 2018, Copibec announced the conclusion of its lawsuit against Université Laval:
Copibec and Université Laval are pleased to announce that their out-of-court settlement agreement was approved by Justice Simon Hébert of the Quebec Superior Courtand that Université Laval has signed the comprehensive licence agreement applicable to Quebec universities.
The Court’s approval of the settlement has now put an end to the legal dispute between the two parties concerning copyright royalty management for the university’s teaching and research activities. Both parties are looking forward to once again working collaboratively for the benefit of authors, publishers, teaching personnel and students.
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)
On 30 September 2018, Canada, Mexico and the United States announced the completion of negotiations towards a new trade agreement to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) includes a chapter on intellectual property. Among other things, it requires member countries to protect copyright for a minimum of 70 years after an author’s death. Currently, the copyright duration in Canada is 50 years after an author’s death.
Canada is obligated to increase copyright protection to life plus 70 by the end of 2022. Bill C-19 contains the provisions that amend the Copyright Act and increases the copyright duration to life-plus-seventy and it has now received royal assent. The provisions are not yet effective until a day to be determined by the Governor in Council. See the provisions here and read the following summary of the provisions by Bob Tarantino in his article, "The Never-Ending Present: Extending Copyright's Duration in Canada."
