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ARTICLE · 01 SEPTEMBER 2022

Canada Extends Copyright Protection By 20 Years

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After years of consultation and debate, Canada has passed legislation to extend copyright protection by 20 years to a "life-plus-70" term.

CanadaIntellectual Property
Kristél Kriel
Kristél Kriel
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This article was prepared with the assistance of summer student Jacob A. Paczko.

After years of consultation and debate, Canada has passed legislation to extend copyright protection by 20 years to a "life-plus-70" term.

Amendments to the Copyright Act were included in Bill C-19, the Budget Implementation Act, 2022, No.1, and are expected to come into force before the end of the calendar year. This move fulfils a key commitment made by Canada in the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, and follows a 20-year extension to copyright terms for published sound recordings, performers' performances and certain audiovisual works, which took effect in June 2015.

The Prior Copyright Landscape

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