Copyright Original Work

How to copyright your original work?

Preface

1. Define Copyright?

Copyright is a branch under intellectual property. Usually, copyright means the absolute right to an original or reproduced work.

Copyright also applies to subject-matters other than the works such as sound recordings, communication signals, and performers’ performances.

2. What copyright protects?

Works

Copyright applies to all literary, musical, dramatic, and artistic original works that met all the conditions provided in the Copyright Act. Each of these categories included widely creations:

Literary works such as translations, books, and other works that contains text.

Musical works such as songs, no matter if there are lyrics or not.

Dramatic works such as plays and scripts.

Sound recordings

In this situation, the copyright will last until the first time the work was recorded, and 50 years after that.

The Copyright Act of Canada

The Copyright Act of Canada was first passed in 1921 and is currently the federal statute that governs the copyright law in Canada.

How to prepare for your application for registration?

Things you need to prepare for register a copyright:

Application forms

Appropriate fees

Step #1: Get Application Forms

Places where you can find online application forms: (1) Client Service Centre or (2) Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada office.

Step #2: Fill in your application forms and prepare fees

Works

Work’s Title

The title have to be able to identify a single work.

A series or parts of books are published, a single application is enough.

Do not include any descriptive content that does not form as a section of its title.

Category of Works

Literary - These are works composed of texts, including books, brochures, speeches, translations, and etc. Computer programs are also a part of a literary work.

Note: Written works such as screenplays belong to the “dramatic works”

Declaration of the applicant is the copyright owner.

Fees

You can pay your fees through credit card, debit card, cheque payable or money order using Canadian dollars to pay to the Receiver General for Canada.

Don’t add provincial or federal taxes in the fees.

Step #3: Submit you application

You can send you application forms and fees by facsimile or by mail to the Copyright Office or just submit it online, and you can get a reduced fee.

Step#4: Receive your registration certificate

Once you have submitted the registration form, either by mail or online or fax, you will receive a registration certificate within five to seven business days.

Beyond the basics

Anonymity

If you are the author of the work and also the copyright owner, and you want to remain anonymous, then you can use your pseudonym instead of your real name, but you still need to include the your full mailing address.

Indicating Copyright

Under the Canadian copyright laws, copyright symbols are not mandatory in the original works. The marking is made up of the symbol ©, the copyright owner’s name, and the first published year of the