A Guide to Copyrights (Page 4 of 10)
A Guide to Copyrights (PDF - 2.2 MB - 27 pages)
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What to consider before filing an application
The Copyright Office will give you the basic information you need to file your own application for copyright registration; however, the Office cannot prepare your application, interpret the Copyright Act for you or counsel you in any matters other than registration or the use of Office records. For legal advice, you should consult a legal professional specializing in intellectual property.
Searching
The records of the Copyright Office may be searched for information such as copyright owners' names and changes to ownership. The Canadian Copyrights Database on the CIPO website (www.cipo.ic.gc.ca) will allow you to search all of the Canadian copyrights registered as of October 1991, free of charge.
Searches can be conducted using author name, category, country of publication, owner/assignee name, registration number, title, type, and year of publication.
Searching at the Copyright Office
If necessary, after searching online, you may wish to visit the Client Service Centre in person, where copyright registrations dating back to 1841 are stored, including copyrights registered prior to 1991 that are not accessible online.
As a first-time visitor, you may feel overwhelmed by the idea of searching through so many registrations. IP Search Information Officers are available to help you with your search; however, they cannot do the search for you.