Canada has extended its copyright to Life Plus 70, an extension of 20 years from the previous law. The law is now in line with the UK’s copyright law.
Prompted by the Canada-United State-Mexico Agreement, the extension was granted on June 23rd 2022 to legislation and has extended the term of protection to life of the author plus 70 years. This means that work by authors will be protected for longer, delaying works going into public domain.
Works that have entered the public domain before the legislation will remain unchanged. Works that are still under copyright protection will gain a 20-year increase in copyright protection. If the government implements the extension before December 31st, a whole set of works will be protected from entering public domain on January 1st when copyright expires.
The UK copyright law states that copyright lasts the life of the author plus 50 years, with the extension to 70 years if works have been published to the public.
Works that have entered the public domain in 2022 include the original illustrations of Winnie the Pooh, Poems by Dorothy Parker and Down Home Blues by Ethel Waters. In 2023, notable works that will enter public domain include Mickey Mouse and the musical classic Chicago.
