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Copyright @ NSCC

Copyright information for NSCC faculty, staff and students.

Copyright & Academic Integrity Policies

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COPYRIGHT

Copyright @ NSCC

All NSCC faculty, staff and students must copy and reuse material within the parameters of the Canadian Copyright Act.

NSCC faculty, staff and students are also required to abide by the following NSCC policies, procedures and guidelines:

Please refer to the Fair Dealing sections of this guide for more information.

Copyright is ...

  • Copyright means the right to copy. The right to produce, reproduce, perform, deliver, or publish.
  • Copyright belongs to the creator of the work unless the creator reassigns this right.
  • For example an author reassigns the rights to a publisher.
  • Copyright automatically applies to all original works. Yours too!
  • Copyright requires no registration or application and does not require a copyright symbol ©.
  • Copyright applies to multiple formats including: music, art, literary (which means any form of written work, i.e. books, textbooks, reports, websites etc.), computer programs and performances.
  • Copyright applies to content on the internet.

You can copy when one or more of the following conditions are met:

 

PUBLIC DOMAIN ~
In Canada copyright protection = LIFE + 50 years

FAIR DEALING ~
See NSCC Fair Dealing Guidelines

EDUCATIONAL EXCEPTIONS ~
Include but are not limited to: *Project a copy of a work to display in the classroom. *Copy portions for the purpose of creating an exam. *Work available through Internet.

PERMISSION ~
See Printing @ NSCC tab.

CREATIVE COMMONS ~
Provide attribution and refer to the licence for any restrictions. See Citing CC Images Tab.

Need information about copying images?
Please refer to the Copying Images section of this guide.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON COPYRIGHT TERM

Under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), which entered into force on July 1, 2020, Canada committed to extend its general term from 50 years after the life of the author to 70 years after the life of the author. Canada has a transition period that lasts until December 31, 2022 to implement this change.

WORKS ALREADY IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN

It is not retroactive. Works that entered the public domain before CUSMA, remain in the public domain.

As part of the modernization of the Canadian Copyright Act in 2012, technological protection measures (digital locks) were given legal status as a means for copyright owners to protect their electronic content.

A digital lock can take the form of:

  • Passwords
  • Access Codes
  • Encryption Software

The presence of a digital lock can supersede or trump other user rights defined in the Canadian Copyright Act.
Please consult with your campus librarian before copying.

 

The Copyright Act of Canada defines a technological protection measure (commonly referred tp as a digital lock) as:

any effective technology, device or component that, in the ordinary course of its operation,

  • (a) controls access to a work, to a performer’s performance fixed in a sound recording or to a sound recording and whose use is authorized by the copyright owner; or

  • (b) restricts the doing — with respect to a work, to a performer’s performance fixed in a sound recording or to a sound recording — of any act referred to in section 3, 15 or 18 and any act for which remuneration is payable under section 19.

Copyright Act, Section 41.0

Government of Canada

  • Copyright in works prepared by or under the direction or control of the Government of Canada (Crown) is owned by the Crown, unless other ownership is specified.
  • This includes works created, published or produced under the direction of the government or government departments.
  • Crown Copyright lasts for 50 years.

Copying and Permission

  • Permission to copy is not required for personal, educational, non-commercial purposes, unless specified in the material you wish to reproduce.
  • The copy made must not contain any modifications -- the reproduction must be an exact copy of the original.
  • Make sure the title and authorship are present on the new copy.
  • Add a note that the reproduction is a copy of an official work of the Government of Canada.
  • Permission is required when you want to revise, adapt, or translate the work, regardless of purpose.

Copyright Act, Section 12.0

Reproduction of Federal Law Order

This order grants the right to reproduce (without permission) federal statutes, regulations and judicial decisions.

 

Sharing Links

Sharing links to content on the web (as an alternative to copying) is a recommended practice as long as the content on the website is:

  • Posted by the copyright owner or;
  • Posted with permission from the copyright owner.

Want to copy or print from web-based sources?

  • Consider sending a link instead.

 

Useful Links