Copyright quiz: how well do you know your rights?

Correct answer: As soon as it is created, with no formality The Copyright Act protects every original work automatically as soon as it is created. Registration is optional: a filing does not create the right, it helps you prove it.

Correct answer: To prove that you are the author and when the work existed In a dispute, the party who can prove the earliest date has the advantage. A dated filing kept by a trusted third party is evidence of that date: it does not create rights, it proves them.

Correct answer: No, only the way the idea is expressed Copyright protects the expression of an idea, not the idea itself. Write your project down in detail and date that document: the expression is protected, and the date is your evidence.

Correct answer: The author's life, then until the end of the 70th year after their death The term went from 50 to 70 years on December 30, 2022 (section 6). The change did not revive works by authors who died before 1972: they stay in the public domain.

Correct answer: No, but it warns that the work has an owner Protection does not depend on any formality. A © notice with the owner's name and the year is still a useful warning that discourages copying.

Correct answer: ® is only for registered trademarks; ™ shows a sign used as a brand, registered or not Using ® for a trademark that is not registered misleads the public. ™ has no legal effect of its own: it only shows that you consider the sign to be your trademark.

Correct answer: Both: copyright covers the artwork, trademark covers its use as a brand An original logo design is an artistic work protected as soon as it is created. Registering it as a trademark with CIPO gives you exclusive rights to use it as a brand for the goods and services listed.

Correct answer: The text, images, original design and code Each original element of a site is a work: text, photos, illustrations, code. A domain name is not a work; it can be protected in other ways, for example as a trademark.

Correct answer: No, unless you have permission, a licence, or an exception in the Act applies Being online does not make an image free to use, and a credit is not permission. You need the owner's permission, a licence (for example Creative Commons), or an exception such as fair dealing, which only covers certain purposes.

Correct answer: No, they cannot be assigned, but the author can waive them Under section 14.1 of the Copyright Act, moral rights (to be named as the author and to the integrity of the work) cannot be assigned, but they can be waived in whole or in part. Check what your contracts say.

Correct answer: Yes, as a literary work, source code included The Act lists computer programs among literary works (section 2). The ideas, methods and features behind them are not protected by copyright.

Correct answer: No, it is optional, but the certificate is evidence Your work is protected without registration. A CIPO certificate is evidence that copyright exists and that the registered person owns it (section 53). A dated filing proves that your work existed on a given date.

Correct answer: Yes, as fair dealing, if you mention the source and the author Fair dealing for criticism or review is allowed if you mention the source and the author's name (section 29.1). The dealing must stay fair: an excerpt in proportion to the purpose, not the whole work.

Correct answer: The music and lyrics and, separately, the sound recording The music and lyrics are works of their authors. The sound recording gives its maker a separate right, shown by the ℗ symbol.