This organization provides free legal advice to Ontario artists working in all disciplines. Artists can schedule an appointment to see a lawyer for a half-hour by calling 416-367-2527.
This agency is associated with Industry Canada. It is responsible for the administration of intellectual property in Canada. Its website provides basic information about Canada's copyright law and systems, including a section of frequently asked questions for choreographers.
The Law Society of Upper Canada established this service in 1969. It provides people who call 416-947-3330 with the name of a lawyer who will provide an inexpensive consultation lasting up to 30 minutes.
A not-for-profit organization which offers legal information free of charge, Legal Line makes written information available about copyright, internet law, business law, bankruptcy and entertainment law (primarily music and the recorded media), among other topics.
This organization funds community legal clinics and specialty clinics that provide services to defined communities.
Artists working in film and television can assign their copyright or associated right to one or more collective societies. The most important in Ontario are:
Performers whose recorded performances are broadcast or used for commercial purposes could be entitled to receive a royalty. Such performers can choose to assign this "neighbouring right" to a collective society — either the ACTRA Performers' Rights Society or Artisti.
This organization licenses the use of its members' music in Canada. As the copyright collective for the public performance of musical works, it administers the performing rights of members (composers, lyricists, songwriters and their publishers) and those of affiliated international societies.
CARFAC Ontario coordinates the Visual Artists' Legal Clinic. This service pairs each participant with a lawyer for a free 30-60 minute session. Artists can consult on questions such as copyright, commercial, contract and tax law. Artists outside Toronto can call 1-(877) 890-8850 to inquire by telephone. Members can also get advice on exhibition contracts, taxation, international regulations and other business of art matters.
This copyright collective licenses, administers and collects copyright for visual and media artists in Canada who have assigned their copyright to it.
Formerly called Can Copy, this collective society administers the rights of authors, illustrators, photographers, publishers and others to control the reproduction of their works in books, magazines and newspapers. This website also contains comprehensive information about Canada's copyright law and systems.
This non-profit umbrella organization is responsible for collecting and distributing royalties on the media used by individual Canadians to copy music. It represents songwriters, recording artists, music publishers and record companies, on whose behalf the royalties are collected. Individual artists are members of collective societies which in turn formed this collective.
These websites provide information about domestic and international copyright issues. These organizations are coalitions of national artists' associations and collectives responsible for managing authors' rights. They are devoted to the defence, promotion and protection of the interests of Canadian creators in relation to intellectual property.
This public program provides payments for Canadian authors when their books are in libraries.