About copyright
The Canadian Copyright Act provides legal protection to original works of authorship, which includes literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, as well as performer's performance, communication signals and sound recordings.
Copyright protection exists as soon as a work is expressed in a fixed format, such as a book. For more information, see copyright basics.
The author of the work is usually the owner of copyright. As the copyright holder, the author has the right to produce, reproduce, perform, publish, translate, or adapt the work, and to authorize anyone else to exercise these rights.
Additional topics covered in this section:
- University copying guidelines
- Library database licenses
- Public domain
- Creative Commons
- Intellectual property
Should you have any questions please contact the Copyright Office.
The Copyright Office makes every effort to provide accurate information but does not offer it as counsel or legal advice.