Copyright Law
Copyright Lawyer Solutions - Your intellectual property matters.
We provide expertise in all areas of copyright law, from the clearance, acquisition and registration of copyright to litigation, customs and anti-counterfeiting enforcement across Canada.
We provide advice on a wide range of subject matters including software, literature, photography, artistic works, architectural works, video, film, telecommunications and the Internet.
Copyright is the sole right to produce or reproduce an original literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, or any substantial part thereof, in any material form.
Some common examples of the kinds of works that attract copyright are books, photographs, computer software, paintings, drawings, sculptures, theatrical productions, films, architectural works and musical recordings. It should be noted that copyright in a work protects the original mode of expression, not the idea expressed.
Copyright arises automatically in Canada provided certain statutory criteria are met, and it generally lasts for a period of fifty years after the death of the author of the work.
While registration of copyright is not necessary, it does provide evidence that copyright subsists in the work and that the person named in the registration is the owner of the copyright. In the case of copyright infringement, registration also prevents an infringer from denying knowledge of the copyright so as to avoid having to pay monetary compensation.
For more information on Copyright, download the Canadian Intellectual Property Office’s “A Guide to Copyrights”.
