Library:Digging into Digital Book Collections/Public Domain
Copyright and Digital Book Collections
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This information should not be construed to be legal advice nor UBC policy. More information about Copyright at UBC can be found at http://copyright.ubc.ca.
Most material in digital book collections is still in copyright and this affects how you can access and use it. See UBC's official copyright website for more information about your rights and responsibilities regarding copyright.
Public Domain
In Canada, the copyright for a work usually expires 50 years after the death of the creator, at the end of the relevant calendar year. At this point it is said to pass into the public domain.
- Example: Mordecai Richler died on 3 July 2001, and his novels will remain copyrighted until 31 December 2051, passing into the public domain on 1 January 2052.
Items that are in the public domain are free to use in any way you choose. That means no restrictions on copying and adapting, no need to seek permission, and no uncertainty about your rights as a user! (There is also no legal requirement to attribute works in the public domain to their creators, although doing so is an important part of maintaining academic integrity.)
- Determining whether a work is in the public domain can be complicated as the duration of copyright differs depending on a work's authorship and format. If you are uncertain whether a work is in the public domain in Canada you can contact UBC's copyright help list-serv for more assistance.
US Copyright
Many digital book collections were created in the United States. American copyright law is different from Canadian copyright law and there are many possible periods of copyright. While American copyright law does not apply in Canada, it does often have the effect of restricting access to digital collections held on servers in the United States.