1.3 How do I know if something is protected by copyright?

Copyright protection arises automatically when a work is created and generally continues for 50 years after the author’s death, though this can depend on the type of work and where you want to use it. When you want to use a particular work in Canada, the safest approach is to assume that the work is protected by copyright, unless there’s a clear indication to the contrary or the author has been dead for at least 50 years.

For more information about duration of copyright protection in Canada see the Government of Canada’s About Copyright publication.