However, there are important differences: Like copyright, these others are rights granted for intellectual creativity and are forms of IP. People occasionally confuse copyrights with patents, trademarks, industrial designs and integrated circuit topographies. For example, the copyright in a sound recording consists of the sole right to publish the sound recording for the first time, to reproduce it in any material form, to rent it out and to authorize any such acts. If the work is unpublished, copyright includes the right to publish the work or any substantial part of it.Ĭopyright also applies to performers' performances, sound recordings and communication signals, though the applicable rights may differ somewhat. It includes the right to perform the work or any substantial part of it or, in the case of a lecture, to deliver it. In the simplest terms, "copyright" means "the right to copy." In general, copyright means the sole right to produce or reproduce a work or a substantial part of it in any form. Its purpose is to protect copyright owners while promoting creativity and the orderly exchange of ideas. Simply put, the Act prohibits others from copying your work without your permission. This means that if you own the copyright to a poem, song or other original work, you have rights that are protected. Regardless of their merit or commercial value, Canadian law protects all original creative works, provided the conditions set out in the Copyright Act have been met. Some works may earn a lot of money in the marketplace, while others earn none at all. Protect your valuable creationsĪ poem, painting, musical score, performer's performance, computer program-all are valuable creations, although perhaps no one can measure their worth.
#How to copyright your work order registration#
This electronic version of the guide is the official version.