8 Copyright

Copyright definition

According to the Government of Canada’s guide to copyright, copyright is defined as “the sole right to produce or reproduce a work or a substantial part of it in any form” and it “provides protection for literary, artistic, dramatic or musical works (including computer programs) and other subject-matter known as performer’s performances, sound recordings and communication signals.”

For more information about copyright, please contact your institution’s Copyright Office or Copyright Librarian.

Copyright and Creative Commons

Using a Creative Commons license does not negate copyright — it modifies the terms of copyright, allowing others to use a work with attribution, that is, while recognizing the intellectual property of the copyright holder(s). As Creative Commons states, “CC licenses are copyright licenses, and depend on the existence of copyright to work. CC licenses are legal tools that creators and other rights holders can use to offer certain usage rights to the public, while reserving other rights.”

The video below discusses how Creative Commons licenses allow creators to modify copyright terms.

Creative Commons Kiwi from Creative Commons Aotearoa New Zealand is used under a CC BY 3.0 NZ licence.