Copyright Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-42)

Act current to 2017-04-25 and last amended on 2016-06-22. Previous Versions

Marginal note:Certification
  •  (1) On the conclusion of its consideration of proposed tariffs, the Board shall

    • (a) establish

      • (i) a manner of determining the royalties to be paid by educational institutions and by retransmitters within the meaning of subsection 31(1), and

      • (ii) such terms and conditions related to those royalties as the Board considers appropriate;

    • (b) determine the portion of the royalties referred to in paragraph (a) that is to be paid to each collective society;

    • (c) vary the tariffs accordingly; and

    • (d) certify the tariffs as the approved tariffs, whereupon the tariffs become for the purposes of this Act the approved tariffs.

  • Marginal note:No discrimination

    (2) For greater certainty, the Board, in establishing a manner of determining royalties under paragraph (1)(a) or in apportioning them under paragraph (1)(b), may not discriminate between owners of copyright on the ground of their nationality or residence.

  • Marginal note:Publication of approved tariffs

    (3) The Board shall publish the approved tariffs in the Canada Gazette as soon as practicable and send a copy of each approved tariff, together with the reasons for the Board’s decision, to each collective society that filed a proposed tariff and to any person who filed an objection.

  • 1997, c. 24, s. 50;
  • 1999, c. 31, s. 62;
  • 2002, c. 26, s. 4.
Marginal note:Special case
  •  (1) The Board shall, in establishing a manner of determining royalties under paragraph 73(1)(a), ensure that there is a preferential rate for small retransmission systems.

  • Marginal note:Regulations

    (2) The Governor in Council may make regulations defining “small retransmission systems” for the purpose of subsection (1).

  • 1997, c. 24, s. 50.
Marginal note:Effect of fixing royalties

 Without prejudice to any other remedies available to it, a collective society may, for the period specified in its approved tariff, collect the royalties specified in the tariff and, in default of their payment, recover them in a court of competent jurisdiction.

  • 1997, c. 24, s. 50.
Marginal note:Claims by non-members
  •  (1) An owner of copyright who does not authorize a collective society to collect, for that person’s benefit, royalties referred to in paragraph 31(2)(d) is, if the work is communicated to the public by telecommunication during a period when an approved tariff that is applicable to that kind of work is effective, entitled to be paid those royalties by the collective society that is designated by the Board, of its own motion or on application, subject to the same conditions as those to which a person who has so authorized that collective society is subject.

  • Marginal note:Royalties that may be recovered

    (2) An owner of copyright who does not authorize a collective society to collect, for that person’s benefit, royalties referred to in subsection 29.7(2) or (3) is, if such royalties are payable during a period when an approved tariff that is applicable to that kind of work or other subject-matter is effective, entitled to be paid those royalties by the collective society that is designated by the Board, of its own motion or on application, subject to the same conditions as those to which a person who has so authorized that collective society is subject.

  • Marginal note:Exclusion of remedies

    (3) The entitlement referred to in subsections (1) and (2) is the only remedy of the owner of the copyright for the payment of royalties for the communication, making of the copy or sound recording or performance in public, as the case may be.

  • Marginal note:Regulations

    (4) The Board may, for the purposes of this section,

    • (a) require a collective society to file with the Board information relating to payments of royalties collected by it to the persons who have authorized it to collect those royalties; and

    • (b) by regulation, establish periods of not less than twelve months within which the entitlements referred to in subsections (1) and (2) must be exercised, in the case of royalties referred to in

      • (i) and (ii) [Repealed, 2012, c. 20, s. 56]

      • (iii) subsection 29.7(2), beginning on the making of the copy,

      • (iv) subsection 29.7(3), beginning on the performance in public, or

      • (v) paragraph 31(2)(d), beginning on the communication to the public by telecommunication.

  • 1997, c. 24, s. 50;
  • 2012, c. 20, s. 56.

Owners Who Cannot be Located

Marginal note:Circumstances in which licence may be issued by Board
  •  (1) Where, on application to the Board by a person who wishes to obtain a licence to use

    • (a) a published work,

    • (b) a fixation of a performer’s performance,

    • (c) a published sound recording, or

    • (d) a fixation of a communication signal

    in which copyright subsists, the Board is satisfied that the applicant has made reasonable efforts to locate the owner of the copyright and that the owner cannot be located, the Board may issue to the applicant a licence to do an act mentioned in section 3, 15, 18 or 21, as the case may be.

  • Marginal note:Conditions of licence

    (2) A licence issued under subsection (1) is non-exclusive and is subject to such terms and conditions as the Board may establish.

  • Marginal note:Payment to owner

    (3) The owner of a copyright may, not later than five years after the expiration of a licence issued pursuant to subsection (1) in respect of the copyright, collect the royalties fixed in the licence or, in default of their payment, commence an action to recover them in a court of competent jurisdiction.

  • Marginal note:Regulations

    (4) The Copyright Board may make regulations governing the issuance of licences under subsection (1).

  • 1997, c. 24, s. 50.

Compensation for Acts Done Before Recognition of Copyright or Moral Rights

Marginal note:Board may determine compensation
  •  (1) Subject to subsection (2), for the purposes of subsections 32.4(2), 32.5(2), 33(2), 33.1(2) and 33.2(2), the Board may, on application by any of the parties referred to in one of those provisions, determine the amount of the compensation referred to in that provision that the Board considers reasonable, having regard to all the circumstances, including any judgment of a court in an action between the parties for the enforcement of a right mentioned in subsection 32.4(3) or 32.5(3).

  • Marginal note:Limitation

    (2) The Board shall not

    • (a) proceed with an application under subsection (1) where a notice is filed with the Board that an agreement regarding the matters in issue has been reached; or

    • (b) where a court action between the parties for enforcement of a right referred to in subsection 32.4(3) or 32.5(3), as the case may be, has been commenced, continue with an application under subsection (1) until the court action is finally concluded.

  • Marginal note:Interim orders

    (3) Where the Board proceeds with an application under subsection (1), it may, for the purpose of avoiding serious prejudice to any party, make an interim order requiring a party to refrain from doing any act described in the order until the determination of compensation is made under subsection (1).

  • 1997, c. 24, s. 50;
  • 2012, c. 20, s. 57.

PART VIIIPrivate Copying

Interpretation

Marginal note:Definitions

 In this Part,

audio recording medium

support audio

audio recording medium means a recording medium, regardless of its material form, onto which a sound recording may be reproduced and that is of a kind ordinarily used by individual consumers for that purpose, excluding any prescribed kind of recording medium; (support audio)

blank audio recording medium

support audio vierge

blank audio recording medium means

  • (a) an audio recording medium onto which no sounds have ever been fixed, and

  • (b) any other prescribed audio recording medium; (support audio vierge)

collecting body

organisme de perception

collecting body means the collective society, or other society, association or corporation, that is designated as the collecting body under subsection 83(8); (organisme de perception)

eligible author

auteur admissible

eligible author means an author of a musical work, whether created before or after the coming into force of this Part, that is embodied in a sound recording, whether made before or after the coming into force of this Part, if copyright subsists in Canada in that musical work; (auteur admissible)

eligible maker

producteur admissible

eligible maker means a maker of a sound recording that embodies a musical work, whether the first fixation of the sound recording occurred before or after the coming into force of this Part, if

  • (a) both the following two conditions are met:

    • (i) the maker, at the date of that first fixation, if a corporation, had its headquarters in Canada or, if a natural person, was a Canadian citizen or permanent resident within the meaning of subsection 2(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, and

    • (ii) copyright subsists in Canada in the sound recording, or

  • (b) the maker, at the date of that first fixation, if a corporation, had its headquarters in a country referred to in a statement published under section 85 or, if a natural person, was a citizen, subject or permanent resident of such a country; (producteur admissible)

eligible performer

artiste-interprète admissible

eligible performer means the performer of a performer’s performance of a musical work, whether it took place before or after the coming into force of this Part, if the performer’s performance is embodied in a sound recording and

  • (a) both the following two conditions are met:

    • (i) the performer was, at the date of the first fixation of the sound recording, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident within the meaning of subsection 2(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, and

    • (ii) copyright subsists in Canada in the performer’s performance, or

  • (b) the performer was, at the date of the first fixation of the sound recording, a citizen, subject or permanent resident of a country referred to in a statement published under section 85; (artiste-interprète admissible)

prescribed

Version anglaise seulement

prescribed means prescribed by regulations made under this Part. (Version anglaise seulement)

  • 1997, c. 24, s. 50;
  • 2001, c. 27, s. 240.
 
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