Furthermore, this information is not directed toward a particular factual situation, and does not constitute legal advice. If you have any questions of a legal nature, or of how the law applies in a particular situation, please consult with a lawyer. Other Means Introduction Canadian computer software law has had to evolve quickly to keep pace with the rapid evolution of computer technology. Copyright Copyright law in Canada is one of the principal means of protecting computer software in Canada. Canadian copyright law is governed by the Copyright Act, which protects original literary, artistic, musical and dramatic works.
Computer software is protected in Canada as a literary work.
One of the significant rights granted to the owner of Canadian copyright in a work is the exclusive right to reproduce the work, or any substantial part of the work, in any material form whatever. For example, the owner of copyright in a piece of computer software has the right to stop others from making copies of the software, or any substantial part of the software, whether the infringer makes the infringing copy by copying the software on to a floppy disk, hard disk, CD ROM, or by printing out a hard copy of the software. In addition to acquiring the exclusive right to copy the work, the owner of copyright in a work also receives an entire bundle of rights, some of which are specific to the type of work in question. In the case of computer software, this bundle of rights includes the right to rent the software to others, and the corresponding right to restrain others from renting the software. Moral rights in Canada include the right of the author of a piece of software to be associated with the software by name or pseudonym, and the right to remain anonymous.