# Copyright Act of 1868

CAP. LIV.
An Act respecting Copyrights.
[Assented to 22nd May, 1868.]
Preamble.Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:
Register of Copyrights.1. The Minister of Agriculture shall cause to be kept in his Office, a book to be called the "Register of Copyrights" in which proprietors of literary, scientific, and artistical works or compositions, may have the same registered in accordance with the provisions of this Act.
Minister of Agriculture to make rules, &c.2. The Minister of Agriculture may, from time to time, subject to the approval of the Governor in Council, make such rules and regulations, and prescribe such forms, as may appear to him necessary and expedient for the purposes of this Act; Their effect.such regulations and forms being circulated in print for the use of the public shall be deemed to be correct for the purposes of this Act, and all documents, executed according the same and accepted by the said Minister of Agriculture, shall be held valid so far as relates to all official proceedings under this Act.
Who may have copyright in Canada.3. Any person resident in Canada or any person being British subject, and resident in Great Britain or Ireland, who ​is the author of any book, map, chart, or musical composition, or of any original painting, drawing, statuary, sculpture or photograph, or who invents, designs, etches, engraves or causes to be engraved, etched or made from his own design, any print or engraving, and the legal representatives of such persons, shall have the sole right and liberty of printing, reprinting, publishing, reproducing and vending such literary, scientific or artistical works or compositions, in whole or in part, and of allowing translations to be made of such literary works from one language into other languages, for the term of twenty-eight years, from the time of recording the title thereof in the manner hereinafter directed; Proviso.but no immoral or licentious, treasonable or seditious book or any other such literary, scientific or artistical work or composition shall be the subject of such registration or Copyright.
Renewal and continuation of copyright.4. If at the expiration of the aforesaid term, such author, or any of the authors, where the work has been originally composed and made by more than one person, be still living, and residing in Canada or in Greats Britain or Ireland, or being dead, has left a widow or a child, or children living, the same exclusive right shall be continued to such author, or if dead, then to such widow and child or children, (as the case may be) for the further time of fourteen years; Condition. but in such case within one year after the expiration of the first term, the title of the work secured shall be a second time recorded, and all other regulations herein required to be observed in regard to original Copyrights shall be complied with in respect to such renewed Copyrights.
Record of renewal to be published.5. In all cases of renewal of Copyright under this Act, the author or proprietor shall, within two months from the date of such renewal, cause a copy of the record thereof to be published once in the Canada Gazette.
Deposit of copies in the office of the Minister of Agriculture.6. No person shall be entitled to the benefit of this Act, unless he has deposited in the Office of the Minister of Agriculture two copies of such book, map, chart, musical composition, photograph, print, cut, or engraving, and in case of paintings, drawings, statuary and sculptures, unless he has furnished a written description of such works of art, and the Minister of Agriculture shall cause the same to be recorded forthwith in a book to be kept for that purpose, in the manner prescribed by the rules and forms which may be made, from time to time, as herebefore provided, for which record the person claiming such right as aforesaid, shall pay into the hands of the Minister of Agriculture one dollar, and the like sum for every copy actually given to such person or his legal representatives, and the sums so paid shall be paid over to the Receiver General to form part of the Consolidated Revenue of Canada.
​One to be sent to Library of Parliament.7. The Minister of Agriculture shall cause one of the two copies of such book, map, chart, musical composition, photograph, print, cut or engraving aforesaid, to be deposited in the Library of the Parliament of Canada.
Notice of copyright to appear in work.8. No person shall be entitled to the benefit of this Act, unless he gives information of the Copyright being secured, by causing to be inserted in the several copies of every edition published during the term secured, on the title page, or the page immediately following, if it be a book, or if a map, chart, musical composition, print, cut, engraving or photograph, by causing to be impressed on the face thereof, or if a volume of maps, charts, music or engravings, upon the title or frontispiece thereof, the following words, that is to say: "Entered according to Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year by A. B., in the Office of the Minister of Agriculture," Exception.But as regards paintings, drawings, statuary and sculptures, the signature of the artist shall be deemed a sufficient notice of such proprietorship.
Publication in Canada required.9. To entitle any such literary production or engraving as is in this Act mentioned, being the work of any such person residing in Great Britain or Ireland, to the protection of this Act, the same shall be printed and published in Canada, and shall, in addition to the words directed to be inserted by the last section of this Act, and immediately following thereafter, contain the name and place of abode or business in Canada of the printer and publisher thereof.
Penalty for infringement of copyright of books.10. If any other person, after the recording of the title of any book according to this Act, within the term or terms herein limited, prints, publishes or imports, or causes to be printed, published or imported, any copy or any translation of such book without the consent of the person legally entitled to the Copyright thereof, first had and obtained by deed duly executed, or, knowing the same to be so printed or imported, publishes, sells, or exposes to sale or causes to be published, sold or exposed to sale any copy of such book without such consent in writing, such offender shall forfeit every copy of such book to the person then legally entitled to the Copyright thereof; and shall forfeit and pay two dollars, for every such copy which may be found in his possession, either printed or printing, published, imported or exposed to sale, contrary to the intent of this Act; of which penalty one moiety shall be to the use of Her Majesty, and the other to the legal owner of such Copyright, to be recovered in any Court of competent jurisdiction.
Penalty for infringement of copyright of painting, &c.11. If any person, after the recording of any painting, drawing, statuary or sculpture work, within the term or terms limited by this Act, reproduces in any manner or causes to be reproduced, made or sold, in part or in the whole, copies of ​the said works of arts, without the consent of the proprietor or proprietors, such offender or offenders shall forfeit the plate or plates on which such reproduction has been made, and also every sheet thereof so copied^ printed or photographed to the proprietor or proprietors of the Copyright thereof and shall further forfeit two dollars for every sheet of the same reproduction so published or exposed to sale contrary to the true intent and meaning of this Act; and one moiety of such forfeiture shall go to the proprietor or proprietors and the other moiety to the use of Her Majesty, and such forfeiture may be recovered in any Court of competent jurisdiction.
Penalty for infringement of copyright of print, &c.12. If any person, after the recording of the title of any print, cut or engraving, map, chart, musical composition or photograph, according to the provisions of this Act, within the term or terms limited by this Act, engraves, etches or works, sells or copies, or causes to be engraved, etched or copied, made or sold, either in the whole or by varying, adding to or diminishing the main design, with intent to evade the Law, or prints or imports for sale, or causes to be printed or imported for sale, any such map, chart, musical composition, print, cut or engraving, or any parts thereof, without the consent of the proprietor or proprietors of the Copyright thereof, first obtained, as aforesaid, or knowing the same to be so printed or imported without such consent, publishes, sells or exposes to sale, or in any manner disposes of any such map, chart, musical composition, engraving, cut, photograph or print, without such consent, as aforesaid, such offender or offenders shall forfeit the plate or plates on which such map, chart, musical composition, engraving, cut, photograph or print, has been copied, and also every sheet thereof, so copied or printed as aforesaid, to the proprietor or proprietors of the Copyright thereof, and shall further forfeit two dollars for every sheet of such map, musical composition, print, cut or engraving, which may be found in his or their possession, printed or published, or exposed to sale, contrary to the true intent and meaning of this Act; and one moiety of such forfeiture shall go to the proprietor or proprietors, and the other moiety to the use of Her Majesty, and such forfeiture may be recovered in any Court of competent jurisdiction.
Temporary Registration to secure copyright.13. A literary work, intended to be published in pamphlet or book form, but which is first publisted in separate articles in a newspaper or periodical may be the subject of registration within the meaning of the present Act, while it is so preliminarily published, provided that the title of the manuscript and a short, analysis of the work are deposited in the office of the Minister of Agriculture, the registration fee be duly paid and that every separate article so published is preceded by the words "Registered in accordance with the Copyright Act of 1868"; but the work when published in book or pamphlet form, shall be subject, besides, to the other requirements of this Act.
​No copyright of any scene or object.14. Nothing herein contained, however, shall prejudice the right of any person to represent any scene or object, notwithstanding that there may be Copyright in some other representation of such scene or object.
Copyright of work made to order, &c.15. Whenever the author of a literary, scientific or artistical work or composition which may be the subject of Copyright has executed the same for another person or has sold the same to another person for due consideration, such author shall not be entitled to obtain or to retain the proprietorship of such Copyright, which is by the said transaction virtually transferred to the purchaser who may avail himself of such privilege, unless a reserve of the said privilege is specially made by the author or artist in a deed duly executed.
Damages for infringement of copyright.16. If any person prints or publishes any manuscript whatever in Canada, or the same having been printed or published elsewhere, offers it or causes it to be offered for sale in Canada, without the consent of the author or legal proprietor first obtained, such author or proprietor being resident in Canada, or being a British subject resident in Great Britain or Ireland, such person shall be liable to the author or proprietor for all damages occasioned by such injury, to be recovered in any Court of competent jurisdiction.
Penalty for falsely pretending to have copyright.17. If any person prints, publishes or reproduces any book, map, chart, musical composition, print, cut or engraving, or other work of art or photograph and not having legally acquired the Copyright thereof, inserts therein, or impresses thereon, that the same hath been entered according to this Act, or words purporting the same, every person so offending, shall incur a penalty not exceeding sixty dollars (one moiety thereof to the person who sues for the same, and the other moiety to the use of Her Majesty,) to be recovered in any Court of competent jurisdiction.
Limitation of actions.18. No action or prosecution for the recovery of any penalty under this Act, shall be commenced more than two years after the cause of action arose.
Repeal of former Acts.19. Chapter eighty-one of the Consolidated Statutes of the late Province of Canada, and chapter one hundred and sixteen of the Revised Statutes of Nova Scotia, (third series), and all other Acts or parts of Acts, inconsistent with the provisions of the present Act, are hereby repealed, subject to the provisions of the next section.
Unexpired copyrights continued.20. All Copyrights heretofore acquired under the Acts or parts of Acts hereby repealed, shall, in respect of the unexpired terms thereof, continue unimpaired, and shall have the same force and effect as regards the Province or Provinces to which they now extend and shall be assignable and renewable, and all penalties and forfeitures incurred and to be incurred under ​the same may be sued for and enforced, and all prosecutions commenced before the passing of this Act for any such penalties or forfeitures already incurred may be continued and completed as if such Acts were not repealed.
Short title.21. In citing this Act it shall be sufficient to call it "The Copyright Act of 1868."
This work is in the public domain worldwide because it was prepared or published by or under the direction or control of the Canadian Government or any government department prior to 1974.
Section 12 of the Canadian Copyright Act provides a reservation for Crown rights or privileges. Lack of modern case law on the subject makes it unclear whether perpetual prerogative rights over these documents still apply, or whether these rights have lapsed. Notwithstanding, these documents are reproducible under the terms of the Reproduction of Federal Law Order.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse