Reprinted from Saskatchewan Literary Arts Handbook with permission. Reprinted with permission of Consumer and Corporate Affairs Canada . The author owns the copyright in his or her work unless he or she was hired or employed by some other person to create the work, in which case the employer is the owner. Copyright in Canada is automatically acquired upon creation of an original work. Nothing needs to be done to get basic protection, but you may apply for voluntary registration.
Registration requires the completion of an application and submission of a fee.
Upon registration a certificate is issued providing evidence that the person registered is the copyright owner. The copyright may be assigned or sold in whole or in part. However, to be valid, any assignment must be in writing and be signed by the owner. Such numbers are allocated to publishers in Canada through the Canadian ISBN Agency. The number identifies one title or edition of a title, from one specific publisher, and is unique to that work.