legalinfo's Journal: Copyrighting Music In Canada Guide

In Canada copyright law comes under the umbrella of intellectual property. This category includes patents, trade secrets, industrial design and trademarks. People who would like to help to protect their music through copyright law will have to understand what the law is and exactly how it works or they can ask an expert IP licensing lawyer .

What is a Musical Work?

Musicians must determine which copyright category their music falls into. This will likely provide them with some insight on how to begin registering it for copyright. The Canadian Copyright Act identifies musical works as "any work of music or musical composition, with or without words, and includes any compilation thereof." Listed here are some types of musical works and what categories they ought to be registered under.

* Lyrics are protected as a literary work.

* Musical compositions are protected as musical works.

* A specific recording of a song is placed under the sound recording category.

* A singer who has a specific recorded performance of a song can protect it as a performer's performance.

The Best way to Copyright Music in Canada

Once a musician has determined which category their work falls into they are able to begin the entire process of registering for a copyright. Outlined below are the steps an individual has to take to register copyright in Canada.

1. Visit the website of the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.

2. Users must now register an account in order to access copyright registration forms.

3. Fill out the form with personal information such as the owner of the work as well as their mailing address. Applicants should note that they need to use their full legal name.

4. Choose the title of the work. Musicians ought to register compilations and collections under one title.

5. Applicants must now state the date of publication.

6. After the above steps have been completed the applicant will have to sign a declaration stating the applicant as the owner of the work or acting on behalf of them.

7. The form must now be submitted to the CIPO. This can be done via email or post.

8. Lastly the applicant must pay the filing fee for registering the copyright.

What Is Copyright and Why Is it Important?

Copyright is a law that is designed to keep people from stealing the work of an artist. Whenever a person creates a work it is automatically copyrighted. But this is hard to prove in court. For this reason it's important to register copyrights at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. Individuals who have a copyright in place will have the ability to prevent others from profiting from their work.

Even though it is possible to register a copyright without a lawyer, in some instances it's not recommended. A qualified Intellectual Property licensing lawyer will be able to guide musicians through this tedious and complex process. An IP licensing lawyer will likewise be able to help if copyright is violated down the road.