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Crown Copyright & Licensing

About Copyright

Who owns copyright?

Physical Ownership of a Work Versus Ownership of Copyright

There is a difference between owning a physical object and owning copyright. Ownership of a physical object does not include ownership of the copyright of that object. For example, the purchase of a magazine, book, photograph, map, film, or sound recording does not mean that you also own copyright of these objects. Therefore, in order to use the physical object outside of its intended purpose, you are obliged under the Copyright Act [http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/C-42/index.html] to obtain written permission from the author/creator. Failure to do so could be deemed an infringement of copyright.