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Online Help

Getting Started

Please read the following information before filing copyright.

Operating System and Browser Compatibility

Review the system requirements and information summary to ensure your system meets the software and browser requirements.

Username and Password

To access the online form, create a username and password by registering with Government of Canada. To retrieve forgotten usernames and/or passwords or to update Government of Canada Registration information, please visit the Government of Canada Registration webpage.

Deposit Account Access

To use the deposit account payment option, you must first contact CIPO's Finance Branch in writing to grant access to your deposit accounts to authorized Government of Canada User(s) in your firm. Please include the name of your firm, deposit account number(s), and the Government of Canada User account number(s).

Send your request to CIPO's Finance Branch by:

Fax: 819-994-0357
Email: cipo.finance.opic@ic.gc.ca
Mail: Place du Portage I
3rd Floor, Room 304 C
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0C9

Help with Technical Problems

For username, password or server error messages, please contact the Government of Canada Help Desk at 1-800-328-6189 (Canada) or 613-954-5031.

Business hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (ET); email: info@ic.gc.ca.

For questions related to CIPO's online forms, please contact CIPO's Client Service Centre. To report a technical problem, please complete the Technical Problem Report form.


Copyright Application Online

In order to file an application for a copyright registration you must first select the type of application you wish to create

  • Application for registration of a Copyright in a work, or
  • Application for registration of a copyright in a Performer's Performance, Sound Recording or communication signal.

Title

Enter the title of the work. The title of the work must identify a single work. If the work is published in a series of books or parts, such as in the case of an encyclopaedia, a single application for the whole work is sufficient. Descriptive matter that does not constitute a part of the title should not be included and this has a maximum of 255 characters.

Categories

Select the category or categories that describe the work. The following information may be helpful in selecting the appropriate category:

  • Literary: Works consisting of text. This includes books, pamphlets, lectures (including an address, speech or sermon), tables and translations. Computer programs are also included in this category.

    Note: Textual works in which a scenic arrangement or acting form is fixed in writing (e.g. a screenplay) fall within the dramatic category.

  • Musical: Means any work of music or musical composition with or without words, including compilations of musical works.
  • Artistic: Includes paintings, drawings, maps, charts, plans, photographs (includes photo-lithograph and any work expressed by any process analogous to photography), engravings (includes etchings, lithographs, woodcuts, prints and other similar works), illustrations, sketches, sculptures (includes a cast or model), works of artistic craftsmanship, architectural works (meaning buildings or structures or any model of a building or structure) and compilations of artistic works.

    Note: Selecting the check box beside the word "photograph" simply allows for the name of a legal entity (that is not an individual) to be entered as the author of the work in the "author" section of the form for photographs created prior to November 7, 2012. Please see the "author" section of the form for more information in this regard. The category of the work will be reflected as "artistic" on the certificate of registration.

  • Dramatic: Includes any piece for recitation, choreographic work or mime, where the scenic arrangement or acting form is fixed in writing or otherwise. It also includes cinematographic works (having dramatic character or not) and compilations of dramatic works. Examples of dramatic works are screenplays, scripts, plays, and motion picture films.

    Note: A compilation is a work resulting from the selection or arrangement of literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works or parts thereof, or a work resulting from the selection or arrangement of data. A compilation containing two or more of the categories of literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works is deemed to be a compilation of the category making up the most substantial part of the compilation.

Publication

Select this if the work has been published. You must enter the date and country of publication.

Publication means making copies of a work available to the public; the construction of an architectural work (building or structure or any model of a building or structure); and the incorporation of an artistic work into an architectural work.

The following do not constitute publication:

  • the distribution of photographs/engravings of sculptures or architectural works;
  • the exhibition in public of an artistic work;
  • the performance of a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work in public;
  • the communication of a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work to the public by telecommunication.

Owner

Enter the owner details. The copyright owner is usually the author of the work, the employer of the author, or any individual or other legal entity that has obtained ownership through a transfer of ownership, such as an assignment.You must provide the full mailing address. You can also select same as author should that be the case.

Once all information is entered select add owner to save the owner information. Should there be additional owners enter information and select add additional owners as needed.

Author

Enter the author details. The individual who created the work should be named as author except in the case of a photograph created prior to November 7, 2012, where the author can be an individual or some other legal entity. If the author is deceased you must enter the date of death. Once all information is entered select add author to save the author information. Should there be additional authors enter information and select add additional authors as needed.

Declaration

An application for registration of copyright must contain a declaration that the applicant is the author of the work, the owner of the copyright in the work, an assignee of the copyright, or a person to whom an interest in the copyright has been granted by license. Please note that the registration certificate and any correspondence related to the application will be sent to the person named as the copyright owner, unless an agent has been named in the application. Select all that apply.

Agent

If you have an agent to represent you here is where you name your agent. An agent can either be an individual or a legal entity. If this section is completed, the certificate of registration and any correspondence relating to the application will be sent to the agent rather than the person named as the copyright owner. You must provide the full address. Once all information is entered select save and next to continue.


Title

Enter title of subject-matter

This has a maximum of 255 characters and must relate to the registration of only one performer's performance, sound recording or communication signal.

Subject-matter

Select the subject-matter.

The following information may be helpful in selecting the appropriate type.

  • Performer's performance: Means any of the following when done by a performer:
    • a performance of an artistic, dramatic or musical work, whether or not the work was previously fixed in any material form, and whether or not the work's term of copyright protection has expired;
    • a recitation or reading of a literary work, whether or not the work's term of copyright protection has expired;
    • an improvisation of a dramatic, musical or literary work, whether or not the improvised work is based on a pre-existing work.
  • Sound recording: Means a recording, fixed in any material form, consisting of sounds whether or not a performance of a work, but excludes any soundtrack of a cinematographic work where it accompanies the cinematographic work.
  • Communication signal: Means radio waves transmitted through space without any artificial guide, for reception by the public.

For a performer's performance, enter the date of its first fixation in a sound recording or of its first performance if it is not fixed.

For a sound recording, enter the date of first fixation.

For a communication signal, enter the date of first broadcast.

Owner

Enter the owner details.

An owner can either be an individual or a legal entity. The copyright owner is usually the performer in the case of a performer's performance, the maker in the case of a sound recording (person by whom the arrangements necessary for the first fixation of the sounds are undertaken), the broadcaster who broadcasts the communication signal in the case of a communication signal, or any other person that has obtained ownership through a transfer of ownership such as an assignment. You must provide the full mailing address. You can also select add as author should that be the case.

Once all information is entered select add owner to save the owner information. Should there be additional owners enter information and select add additional owners as needed.

Declaration

An application for registration of a copyright in a performer's performance, sound recording or communication signal must contain a declaration that the applicant is the owner of the copyright in the subject matter, an assignee of the copyright, or a person to whom an interest in the copyright has been granted by license. Select all that apply.

Agent

If you have an agent to represent you here is where you name you agent. An agent can either be an individual or a legal entity. If this section is completed, the certificate of registration and any correspondence relating to the application will be sent to the agent rather than the person named as the copyright owner. You must provide the full address.

Once all information is entered select save and next to continue.


The left side menu bar displays links that will enable users to navigate to the following pages:

File an application: Allows users to file a Copyright application Online.

Work In Progress: This is the work in progress screen. All partially completed or completed but not filed with CIPO application remain here. Any unfiled application can be edited, deleted or sent to cart in order to be submitted to CIPO - completed copyright applications that are ready to be submitted to CIPO can be added to the cart by selecting the Add to Cart button.

Cart: Lets users proceed with payment of Copyright Filings.

History of Payments: Allows users to query and view previous payments of Copyright Filings.

Online Help: Provides users with online assistance.

Problem Report: Allows users to report technical problems.

Logout: Enables users to log out of the application.

Work in Progress

This is the work in progress screen. All partially completed or completed but not filed with CIPO application remain here. Any unfiled application can be edited, deleted or sent to cart in order to be submitted to CIPO - completed copyright applications that are ready to be submitted to CIPO can be added to the cart by selecting the Add to Cart button.

Pay fee

To proceed with payment chose the method of payment by selecting the Pay with credit card button or Pay with Deposit Account button.

  • Pay with credit card:
    1. Enter the Cardholder Name.
    2. Enter the 15/16 Credit Card Number without spaces.
    3. Enter the Expiry Date of the card in the MMYY format as shown on the card.
    4. When all fields are complete, select the Pay With Your Credit Card button. The Payment Processing page will be displayed.
    5. DO NOT select the back button or close the browser. Otherwise, the Transaction Receipt will be lost.
    6. Once the payment has been processed, the Transaction Receipt page will be displayed.
    7. To print a copy of this page for your records, select the Print this Page link at the top right of the page.

    If the transaction returns a Payment Failed message, please refrain from trying again until you verify with your credit card institution. If there are no credit card issues, please contact the Government of Canada Help Desk at 613-954-5031 or 1-800-328-6189 (toll free in Canada) or CIPO's Client Services Centre at 819-997-1936 or 1-866-997-1936 (toll free in Canada).

  • Pay with Deposit Account:
    1. Select the deposit account from the drop-down list. Ensure that the account has sufficient funds.
    2. Select Submit. The Confirm Deposit Account Transaction page will be displayed.
    3. Verify that the details are correct and select Confirm; the Completing Payment Transaction page will be displayed. Do not use the browser's Back button.

The Electronic Payment Confirmation page will confirm the details of the payment and provide an official payment receipt and maintenance confirmation letter(s).

History of Payments Search

The History of Payments Search feature located on the left side menu will allow the user to Search and View the payment receipt(s) and submission review(s).

  1. To view the History of Payments, select the link on the left-hand side of the page to perform a search. The History of Payments Search page will be displayed.
  2. Enter one or more of the following criteria:
    • Registration number;
    • Title;
    • Confirmation Number;
    • Start/End Date range (to a maximum of days).
  3. Select Search.

Note: To see all transactions processed in the last days, select the Search button without entering any search criteria.

The History of Payments Search Results page will be displayed.

  • The results may be sorted by using the grey arrows at the top of each column.
  • By default, the system will display up to 10 rows of information. Use the drop-down list to select the number of items to display per page and select the arrow.
  • Use the Previous and Next buttons to move through the list, or use the page numbers to move to a specific page.

To begin a new search, select Perform a new search.

Logout

Select Logout from the left navigation menu to end your Copyright Filing Online session.

If not logged out properly, the session will remain active for 30 minutes and users will not be able to log into the system until the 30 minutes has expired.