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Ontario|Intellectual PropertyCopyright 315 When does a Copyright arise and where is it legal? In Canada, generally, the creator of the original work owns the copyright in Canada from the moment the work is created. It is not necessary to register a copyright to have the copyright rights in Canada. Once the work is put in a fixed form, for example, a story written on paper, you automatically have copyright protection. If you want to register copyright in your works, you can do so with the Copyright Office for a fee of $65. Registering a copyright may help you if you take legal action against anyone who infringes your copyright.
- International protection
Copyright protection is automatic as long as, at the time the work was created, the creater was either a citizen or ordinarily resident in a country that subscribes to an international copyright treaty. The treaty covers most of the countries in the world, but if you are unsure about any particular country, you should contact the Copyright Office, or a copyright lawyer.
The international conventions also provide Canadian authors with copyright protection in over 100 countries which belong to the convention agreement. Canadian copyright owners are given protection under the laws of each particular country. Some of these countries may require registration for copyright protection. You should contact a lawyer if you are concerned about copyright protection in other countries.
Copyright protection for sound recordings does not fall under the above conventions. If you want to ensure that your sound recording has copyright protection in another country, you should consult a lawyer.
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