RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE IP/Q/CAN/1/Add.1
23May1997
ORGANIZATION(97-2174)
Original: English Council forTrade-Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property Rights
REVIEW OFLEGISLATION ONCOPYRIGHT AND RELATED RIGHTS
Canada
Addendum
Bymeans ofacommunication from thePermanent Mission ofCanada, dated 15May1997,
theSecretariat hasreceived thefollowing responses tothequestions thatBrazil hadputtoCanada in
thecontext ofthefollow-up tothereview oflegislation oncopyright andrelated rights atthe
Council 'smeeting of22to25July1996.
_______________
REPLIES TOQUESTIONS POSED BYBRAZIL
InApril 1997 theCanadian Parliament approved anumber ofamendments totheCopyright
Act(BillC-32). Among other things, these amendments introduce aregime ofneighbouring rights.
However, asof1May 1997 onlytwosections relating totheimportation ofbooks have been
proclaimed inforce. Theanswers tothequestions below relate totheCopyright Actascurrently in
force andnottotheamendments.
1. What aretheprerequisites fortheprotection ofawork, performance, phonogram and
broadcasting bycopyright andrelated rights under eachcategory ofsubject matter? Does protection
extend tothetitleofthework? Isthere aspecial requisite forphotographic works ortoworks of
applied art?
Awork isprotected ifitisoriginal, i.e.ifitisindependently created andisnotcopied from
another work. There isnothreshold ofartistic orcreative merit. Thefactthatawork isverysimilar
toapreviously created work, e.g.asinthecaseofastreet directory oramap, doesnotprevent it
from being protected aslongasitwasindependently created.
Allliveperformances areprotected. Itisirrelevant whether theperformance issimilar toany
other performance given bythatperformer oranother performer.
Phonograms areprotected automatically. There isnothreshold ofartistic orcreative merit.
Broadcasting organizations donotreceive separate protection butthere isprotection forthe
subject matter ofbroadcasts.
Titles receive copyright protection iftheyaresufficiently original. Averysimple andnon
original titlewould notbeprotected.IP/Q/CAN/1/Add.1
Page2
There arenospecial requisites fortheprotection ofphotographic works. Theterm"works
ofapplied art"doesnotappear intheCanadian Copyright Act. Theclosest equivalent is"works of
artistic craftsmanship". Such works areprotected onthesame basis asother copyright works.
Canada alsogrants protection toindustrial designs under aseparate statute.
There isasystem ofvoluntary registration inCanada butprotection isnotconditional upon
registration.
2. What aretheprerequisites fortheprotection ofadaptations, translations, andother alterations
oftheoriginal work, inparticular cinematographic works?
Adaptations, translations andother alterations ofworks areprotected onthesame basis as
other works, i.e.theyareprotected iftheywereindependently created regardless ofhowsimilar they
maybetoanother adaptation, translation orother alteration. They must havetheirownoriginality
inorder tobeprotected, e.g.atrivial alteration toawork would notentitle ittoindependent
protection.
Cinematographic works arealsoprotected iftheywereindependently created, i.e.notsimply
copied from another cinematographic work. There aretwotypes ofcinematographic works in
Canadian law,those withoriginal content which areprotected forthelifeoftheauthor plus50years
andthose without original content which areprotected for50years from publication.
Where awork isstillprotected bycopyright, making acinematographic orother adaptation,
translation oralteration ofthework requires theconsent ofthecopyright owner.
3. Please indicate thelegal provisions thatensure theprotection ofcomputer programs as
literary works, according toArticle 10(1) oftheTRIPS Agreement. Does itincorporate source and
object code?
Thedefinition of"literary work" inSection 2oftheCopyright Actisasfollows: "'literary
work'includes tables, computer programs, andcompilations ofliterary works".
Bothsource codeandobject codeareprotected.
4. Whoisconsidered tobetheauthor andrightholder oftheprotected workinrespect toeach
category ofsubject matter? Canalegal person beconsidered theauthor ofintellectual works? If
so,under whatcircumstances?
Theauthor ofaprotected work mustalways beanatural person except fortwocategories of
works, photographs andsound recordings. Forthose twocategories ofworks theauthor maybe
either anatural person oralegalentity, e.g.acorporation.
Theauthor ofaphotograph istheperson whoowned theplateorother original atthetime
thephotograph wasmade. Thatmaybeeither alegaloranatural person.
Theauthor ofasound recording isthemaker. InSection 2oftheCopyright Actthe"maker"
isdefined as"theperson bywhom thearrangements necessary forthemaking of...the [sound
recording] areundertaken". Thatmaybeeither alegaloranatural person.
Unless there isaspecific provision tothecontrary, theauthor isthefirstowner ofthe
copyright. Theauthor is,ofcourse, freetotransfer thecopyright toanother person.IP/Q/CAN/1/Add.1
Page3
There arethree situations were someone other thantheauthor maybethefirstowner of
copyright. theses arecommissioned portraits, photographs orengravings, works created during the
course ofemployment andworks prepared orpublished bythegovernment.
Section 13(2) states: "Where inthecaseofanengraving, photograph orportrait, theplate
orother original wasordered bysome other person andwasmade forvaluable consideration in
pursuance tothatorder, intheabsence ofanyagreement tothecontrary, theperson bywhom the
plateofother original wasordered shallbethefirstowner ofthecopyright."
Section 13(3) sates: "Where theauthor ofawork wasintheemployment ofsome other
person under acontract ofservice orapprenticeship andthework wasmade inthecourse ofhis
employment bythatperson, theperson bywhom theauthor wasemployed shall, intheabsence of
anyagreement tothecontrary, bethefirstowner ofthecopyright."
Section 12states: "Without prejudice toanyrights orprivileges oftheCrown, where any
work is,orhasbeen, prepared orpublished byorunder thedirection orcontrol ofHerMajesty or
anygovernment department, thecopyright inthework shall, subject toanyagreement withthe
author, belong toHerMajesty..."
5. Please specify thetypes oflicences available forworks, performances, phonograms and
broadcasting protected bycopyright andrelated rights under thedomestic law(voluntary, compulsory,
etc.)andindicate therelevant legal provisions.
TheCopyright owner isalways freetogrant avoluntary licence withrespect toanycategory
ofwork.
Under Section 28.01 there isacompulsory license fortheretransmission ofworks. No
royalty isrequired where theretransmission isofalocalsignal, andtheretransmission islawful under
theBroadcasting Actanditisretransmitted simultaneously andinitsentirety except asotherwise
required orpermitted bylaw.Where those conditions aremetbutitisaretransmission isofadistant
signal, aroyalty isrequired which issetbytheCopyright Board.
Sections 67-67.3 contain provisions related tothecollective administration oftheperforming
rightandrightofcommunication tothepublic bytelecommunication inmusical works. Copyright
owners arefreetoremain outside ofthecollective andadminister theperforming rightandrightof
telecommunication onanindividual basis butthisisrarely, ifever, done. Once amusical work is
inthecollective, users areentitled toperform, broadcast ortransmit ituponpayment oftheapproved
royalty tothecollective.
6. Please specify theexceptions totherightofreproduction (Article 9oftheBerne Convention),
particularly withrespect towireandwireless digital transmissions andbrowsing ontheInternet?
There areseveral exceptions intheCopyright Actwithrespect tothereproduction right.
Certain ofthese exceptions apply tomore thanthereproduction right andothers apply justtothe
reproduction right.
These exceptions are:
- Section 27(2)(a) and(a.1)fairdealing (forprivate study, research, criticism, review
ornewspaper summary);
- Section 27(2)(b) theusebytheauthor ofcertain mould andcasts, etc.(This isnotIP/Q/CAN/1/Add.1
Page4
atrueexception butrather thenegation ofapresumption which might otherwise
exist.);
- Section 27(2)(c) copying certain works located inpublic places;
- Section 27(2)(d) copying incertain educational publications;
- Section 27(2)(e) publication inanewspaper ofreports ofcertain lectures;
- Section 27(2)(h) copying forpurposes oftheCultural Property Export andImport Act;
- Section 27(2)(i) copying forpurposes oftheAccess toInformation Act;
- Section 27(2)(j) copying forpurposes ofthePrivacy Act;
- Section 27(2)(k) copying forpurposes oftheNational Archives ofCanada Act;
- Section 27(2)(l) copying acomputer program forcompatibility withaparticular
computer;
- Section 27(2)(m) copying tomake aback-up copyofacomputer program;
- Section 28copying inanewspaper ofpolitical speeches.
Digital wireandwireless transmissions andbrowsing activities ontheInternet involve the
exclusive rights ofrights owners astheyaredefined under theCopyright Act(mainly theexclusive
rightofcommunication tothepublic bytelecommunication andtherightofreproduction). Whether
aparticular actofbrowsing infringes thereproduction rightwould depend uponwhether itiscovered
byoneoftheexceptions listed above orissubject toanimplied licence.