How long does Copyright last?
Answer
Copyright in Canada exists for the life of the author, plus an additional seventy years following his or her death. Think life-plus-seventy. After this time period, the work enters the Public Domain. However, there are many exceptions to this general rule depending on the type of material copyrighted. Moreover, copyright can be, and often is, renewed by a third party (eg. a family member, agent, or publisher).
Important Note:
The Canadian Copyright Act has recently changed to author death plus seventy years as of December 30 2022. The USMCA (NAFTA 2.0) updated this term to seventy years and we are currently in the transition period to the new agreement. This change does not affect works that are already in the public domain. For more information, please see the amendments to the Copyright Act from June 2022.