Prairie Sky Music Publishing has often received requests for information as to how a musician goes about obtaining a copyright. The information on this page applies to Canadian copyright and visitors from other countries should contact their respective governmental agencies responsible for copyright administration.
Many musicians and composers will find that that basic protection without registering provides adequate protection. To obtain a registered copyright the procedure is more complex and requires fees to be paid.
Obtaining a copyright is much simpler than obtaining a patent. You automatically acquire copyright when you create an original work of music, or lyrics to a piece of music. Registering may add additional protection. However, in either case, it will be up to you, the copyright owner, to enforce the copyright should you find a violation. This means that law enforcement agencies will not enforce the copyright on your behalf and you will need to launch a civil action on your own.
The most inexpensive protection for the new composer is simply to identify the work as copyrighted when it is initially published. You do not have to use a lawyer or register your work to use this method. When you publish your work, even if you are using "desktop publishing" methods, it should be marked with the following information:
a small c in a circle
"©",
the name of the copyright owner
the year of first publication
example: Copyright © Prairie Sky Music Publishing 2003
Even though the above marking is not always required to maintain your rights, marking is advantageous because it reminds any users that the work is protected by copyright laws. Education of consumers remains the most practical method of enforcement for individual composers and small publishing companies.
Canadian musicians and composers can obtain complete information about Canadian copyrights from CIPO (Canadian Intellectual Property Office). The referenced page includes the procedure for copyright registration should you choose that route. Notice especially the FAQ pertaining to copyright which answers general questions.
Keep in mind that creators of original works ultimately rely on the integrity of the users to comply with the copyright laws. Composers and publishers rely on sales of the published works for their livelihood. Reproducing music in any form without permission deprives the creators of the rightful payment for their work in creating, publishing, and marketing the piece. We at Prairie Sky Music Publishing trust that our customers will respect the copyright laws and our position on this matter.
Box 334 35 Dubuc Bay
Lorette, MB R0A 0Y0 Canada
e-mail: prairiesky@mts.net
fax: 204 878 2332