Interesting bits about Copyright Law...

So, for the last few months, I have been immersing myself in Canada's Copyright Act so that I could share a few of the basics with all of you.  Copyright Law can be overwhelming, so here are just a few of the more interesting bits of information I picked up (more to come later):

• copyright is complicated - even for lawyers - so, there's no need to feel discouraged if you don't fully understand the law
• copyright protects "works" and "other subject matter" - including, literary work, dramatic work, artistic work, musical work, sound recordings, performer's performances, and communication signals
• mechanical or trivial works are not covered by copyright (like your child's art or seismic data)
• Canadian creators don't need to use the copyright symbol or even to register their copyright to be protected - but, if you're worried, register with the Copyright Board
• the term of copyright on most books is 50 years - after that, the work enters the public domain
• people around the world celebrate Public Domain Day every year on January 1st - this is the day that the term of copyright expires on a whole new batch of works (this year, works by Sigmund Freud and Frank Lloyd Wright became property of the public)
• it's the responsibility of the copyright owner (creator, publishing company, movie producer, etc.) to police their own rights

I think that's enough for today - more to come in a later post.