An Overview of American Copyright Law

• Author: Lesley Ellen Harris
• Profession: Lawyer, author, and educator
• Pages: 281-294

281

CHAPTER 15

An Overview of American

Copyright Law

I always try to write on the principle of the iceberg. There is seven-eighths of it

underwater for every part that shows.

—Ernest Hemingway

The Relevance of American Copyright

Law to Canadians

If your work is being distributed or reproduced in the United States,

this chapter is pertinent since you are protected in the United States

under American copyright law.

1

Also, if you are employed by a U.S.

company and (physically in Canada) or are entering into an agreement

with a U.S. organization, you need to know the di erences between

Canadian and U.S. copyright law. Even where your work is not being

distributed or reproduced in the United States and/or you are not

working with or for a U.S. organization, the U.S. Copyright O ce may

be of assistance to Canadians with respect to registering and depositing

their works and searching for owners of copyright materials. In addi-

tion, much of what we read about copyright law is U.S.-based; it is

important for Canadians to be able to distinguish the U.S. copyright law

from Canadian copyright law.

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