Except where otherwise noted, this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The information obtained from or through this website is provided as guidelines for using works for educational purposes and is not intended to constitute legal advice.
Camosun faculty and staff are required to adhere to the Fair Dealing Policy. Fair dealing and educational exceptions in the Copyright Act are available to the Camosun community for teaching and training purposes. Since general college publication and events are usually not covered by these exceptions, if copyrighted material used during events or publication, staff will be asked to identify an alternative resource or seek permission for use from the copyright holder and pay any associated royalties. Assistance will be available when permission is required. For more information on fair dealing visit the Copyright In Class webpage.
If there are any immediate questions that are not addressed here please contact Copyright & Institutional Repository Technician.
Copyright owners have a number of legal rights, including the right to copy and translate a work and the right to communicate a work to the public by telecommunication. Certain exceptions apply to these rights that are meant to balance copyright holders' interests with broader public interests, primarily the use of works for purposes such as teaching and research.
For more detail, please check Your Copyright page.
These websites provide copyright-friendly images you can use freely as long as you abide by any terms of use provided by the owner of the content.
Copyright protects not only the creators' rights but also the users' rights. If copyright law is written too favorably to copyright holders, it will restrict users' rights and limit the goal of sharing knowledge across society. Therefore, there are always exceptions in copyright. For example, Canadian Copyright Law includes Fair dealing provision to protect users right. There are various exceptions more than Fair Dealing.
A person may use an existing work which has been published or otherwise made available to the public in the creation of a new work, provided:
Copyright Act, Section 29.21
A person may reproduce the source copy of a work they own or have licensed, provided:
Copyright Act, Section 29.24
A person may record a program for the purpose of listening to or viewing it later, provided the person:
Copyright Act, Section 29.23
A person may reproduce a work, for a private purpose, provided:
Copyright Act, Section 29.22
The following sections of the Copyright Act list other user's rights:
Exception |
Section |
|---|---|
| Persons with perceptual disabilities | Section 32 |
| News reporting of a public lecture | Section 32.2(1)(c) |
| Public reading of an excerpt from a copyright-protected work | Section 32.2(1)(d) |
| Use of a commissioned photograph | Section 32.2(1)(f) |
| Religious, educational, or charitable performance | Section 32.2(3) |
| Private music copying | Section 80 |
For a concise overview of exceptions to owners' rights for individuals, see pages 84-86 of Canadian Copyright: A Citizen's Guide (2nd ed.) (Murray & Trosow, 2013).
Adapted from Exceptions in Copyright Acts from Langara College under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The Copyright Act allows you to play a sound recording or live radio broadcasts in class as long as it is for educational or training purposes, not for profit, on Camosun College premises and before an audience consisting primarily of students, faculty or any person who is directly responsible for setting a curriculum for Camosun College. However, if you want to use music for non-educational purposes, for example, for background music at a conference or in an athletic facility, a license must be obtained from the copyright collective SOCAN.
Camosun College is required to pay SOCAN tariffs when it rents out its facilities (e.g. rooms, gardens, halls, etc.) for events that play music. If recorded music is played at these events, the organizations are also required to pay Re:Sound tariffs. The cost of such SOCAN and/or Re:Sound fees can be passed onto the renter of the premises. This document provides some general information about SOCAN and Re:Sound fees and potential applicability of these fees to Camosun facilities.
In 2019, SOCAN and Re:Sound launched their joint license venture Entandem to simplify the licensing process. Therefore, instead of getting 2 separate tariffs from SOCAN and Re:Sound, users just need to contact Entandem to get the license.
SOCAN (Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) requires users of music to obtain a SOCAN license to perform, or authorize others to perform, copyright music in public. Depending on the category a music user falls under, if at all, license fee may be payable on a per-event or annual basis. SOCAN currently monitors and imposes 49 different Tariffs, which have been approved by the Copyright Board of Canada.
Re:Sound (Re:Sound Music Licensing Company, formerly known as the Neighbouring Rights Collective of Canada) is a Canadian not-for-profit music licensing company dedicated to obtaining fair compensation for artists and record companies for their performance rights. While SOCAN collects fees on behalf of composers, authors and music publishers, Re:Sound collects fees on behalf of the rights owners of the sound recordings.
Here are the examples of SOCAN and Re:Sound tariff.
SOCAN and Re:Sound post their tariff on the websites for the users. However, Entandem has not posted any tariff information on the Internet. Users must have Entandem account in order to get estimate price of their license. Please contact Entandem for the most current price.
Room Capacity
|
Without Dancing |
With Dancing |
| 1-100 | $22.06 | $44.13 |
| 101-300 | $31.72 | $63.49 |
| 301-500 | $66.19 | $132.39 |
| >500 | $93.78 | $187.55 |
Room Capacity
|
Without Dancing |
With Dancing |
| 1-100 | $9.25 | $18.51 |
| 101-300 | $13.30 | $26.63 |
| 301-500 | $27.76 | $55.52 |
| >500 | $39.33 | $78.66 |
Total Attendance for the year |
Fee per day |
| Up to 25,000 | $13.75 |
| 25,001 to 50,000 | $27.66 |
| 50,001 to 75,000 | $69.00 |
Average Daily Attendance |
Fee payable per day |
| Up to 5,000 | $8 |
| 5,001 to 10,000 | $18 |
| 10,001 to 20,000 | $36 |
| 20,001 to 30,000 | $60 |
| 30,001 to 50,000 | $96 |
| 50,001 to 75,000 | $150 |
| 75,001 to 100,000 | $210 |
| 100,001 to 150,000 | $300 |
| 150,001 to 200,000 | $420 |
| >200,000 | $600 |
Educational institutions are not generally exempt from the tariffs imposed by SOCAN or Re:Sound. There are some limited exceptions that may apply to educational institutions, as described below.
The following performances (provided that they are not based on, or use, an infringing copy of the work) are allowed by educational institutions and persons acting under the authority of an educational institution, if performed on Camosun College premises for educational or training purposes and not for profit, before an audience consisting primarily of students, faculty or any person who is directly responsible for setting a curriculum for Camosun College:
Also, pursuant to Section 69(2) of the current Copyright Act, if you have radio playing from a traditional radio receiving set, in any place other than a theatre for which admission is paid, you do not need to pay an additional tariff (as the radio station has paid SOCAN under SOCAN Tariff 1A or 1B and has paid Re:Sound under Re:Sound Tariff No. 1.A):
“Radio performances in places other than theatres
69(2) In respect of public performances by means of any radio receiving set in any place other than a theatre that is ordinarily and regularly used for entertainments to which an admission charge is made, no royalties shall be collectable from the owner or user of the radio receiving set, but the Board shall, in so far as possible, provide for the collection in advance from radio broadcasting stations of royalties appropriate to the conditions produced by the provisions of this subsection and shall fix the amount of the same.”
The exception under Section 69(2) is limited to traditional radio sets, and does not extend to internet radio. Therefore, if Camosun College hosts an event that is subject to a SOCAN and/or Re:Sound tariff(s) at which it plays internet radio, the SOCAN and/or Re:Sound fees would still apply.
There may also be exceptions for playing music at some types of charitable or religious events but specific conditions need to be met. These exemptions are set out in Section 32.2 and 32.3 of the current Copyright Act, which states:
“32.2 …
(3) No religious organization or institution, educational institution and no charitable or fraternal organization shall be held liable to pay any compensation for doing any of the following acts in furtherance of a religious, educational or charitable object:
(a) the live performance in public of a musical work;
(b) the performance in public of a sound recording embodying a musical work or a performer’s performance of a musical work; or
(c) the performance in public of a communication signal carrying
(i) the live performance in public of a musical work, or
(ii) a sound recording embodying a musical work or a performer’s performance of a musical work.
INTERPRETATION
32.3 For the purposes of sections 29 to 32.2, an act that does not infringe copyright does not give rise to a right to remuneration conferred by section 19.”
Specifically, Section 19 of the current Copyright Act discusses right to equitable remuneration for sound recording performed in or communicated to the public by way of royalties or license fees paid (e.g. those administered by SOCAN or Re:Sound).
Therefore, playing music at a charitable event can be exempt from SOCAN or Re:Sound tariffs if the organization performing the music is a charitable organization and the performance furthers a charitable object. However, the performance of a musical work at a benefit where all profits go to charity does not necessarily constitute a performance in furtherance of a charitable object. There must be a closer link between the performance and the charitable object of the organization – they must be directly connected, or the performance must be incidental to the object. Some examples are performing music as part of a church service, an educational meeting with musical interpolations, and accompanying music of an orchestra at a Christmas dinner given to the poor.
Some content in this guide has been copied and adapted from Information about SOCAN and Re:Sound Fees at UBC licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
1. Is it legal to download videos online?
2. Where can I find copyright-free videos?
3. May I change the format of a copyrighted film (e.g., digitize a VHS tape)?
4. May I show streaming video in the classroom?
5. May I show DVDs or videos in the classroom?
6. May I play a live television or radio broadcast in class?
7. May I copy a news program and use it in class?
8. May I copy a documentary or other TV programs for use in class?
If you have further information or questions relating to Entandem, SOCAN and/or Re:Sound, please contact Copyright & Institutional Repository Technician.
Not every materials are copyright protected. There are many alternative choices you can use which give you more flexibility and less restrictions than copyrighted materials. Most popular alternatives are:
Refers to works in which copyright has either expired or where the copyright owner has clearly specified that the work may be used without their explicit permission. Copyright protection may still apply to more recent editions, arrangements or adaptations of works in the public domain since copyright on public domain material is created when new content (footnotes, critiques, etc.) is added to the original material.
Further Detail: Copyright Term and Canada's Public Domain Chart, prepared by the Copyright Office at the University of Alberta / CC BY 2.0 CA
Where to find public domain works:
Creative Commons (CC) is a nonprofit organization that helps overcome legal obstacles to the sharing of knowledge and creativity to address the world’s pressing challenges.
CC provides Creative Commons licenses and public domain tools that give every person and organization in the world a free, simple, and standardized way to grant copyright permissions for creative and academic works; ensure proper attribution; and allow others to copy, distribute, and make use of those works.
| Image | Condition | Description |
 |
BY (Attribution) |
Credit must be given to the creator |
 |
SA (Share Alike) |
Adaptations must be shared under the same terms |
 |
NC (Non Commercial) |
Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted |
 |
ND (No Derivatives) |
No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted |
Some content in this guide has been copied and adapted from Creativecommons.org licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0)
From: How To Attribute Creative Commons Photos by Foter, licensed under CC BY SA 3.0
For example:
How To Attribute Creative Commons Photos by Foter, licensed under CC BY SA 3.0
Open Access (OA) refers to scholarly literature that is freely available on the Internet.
These resources are sustained by the academic and scientific communities that produce them. They are typically found in peer-reviewed Open Access Journals and Institutional Repositories, which act as archives of institutions' scholarly output.
The library maintains a guide that outlines sources for open education resources, open access journals and books, and sources of open culture (images, video etc.). Open Resources Guide
Researchers
Educational Institutions
Businesses
Public
* Content on this page has been copied and adapted from Why Open Access? (SPARC)
One of the most recommended way to use copyrighted materials in your Class is Linking. Instead of copy and paste copyrighted materials without permission, you may put a hyperlink of the material on D2L. This won't be considered as copyright infringement in Canada.