Canada Extends Term of Copyright Protection by Twenty Years

The term of copyright protection in Canada was recently extended from fifty (50) years after the life of the author to seventy (70) years after the life of the author. This significant change went into effect on December 30, 2022, as part of Canada’s Budget Implementation Act of 2022. Now, the term of copyright protection in Canada mirrors that of the United States and many other countries. The new law is not retroactive, however, meaning that works in the public domain as of December 31, 2021, do not receive the benefit of the additional twenty (20) years. On the other hand, works that would have entered the public domain at the end of 2022 are benefitted by the change.