Copyright Transfer Agreement - Template, Sample Form

Designed for use in Canada

Create your Copyright Transfer Agreement for use in Canada. Answer a few plain-English questions and the document fills in automatically as you go - then download it in Word and PDF, ready to sign or share.

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Below you can preview the Copyright Transfer Agreement, complete it by answering a few plain-English questions, and download a ready-to-sign copy in Word and PDF - tailored for use in Canada.

What the Copyright Transfer Agreement includes

This template is organised into the following sections:

Frequently asked questions

What is a Copyright Transfer Agreement?

A Copyright Transfer Agreement is a ready-to-use legal template for Canada. You complete it by answering a few plain-English questions, then download the finished document in Word and PDF.

What does the Copyright Transfer Agreement cover?

The Copyright Transfer Agreement is organised into sections covering § 1 – ASSIGNMENT OF COPYRIGHT, § 2 – RIGHTS ASSIGNED, § 3 – TERRITORY, § 4 – TERM, § 5 – CONSIDERATION AND REMUNERATION, so the important points are captured in a clear, consistent structure.

What formats can I download?

You can download your completed Copyright Transfer Agreement as an editable Microsoft Word (.docx) file and as a PDF.

Can I edit the document later?

Yes - save it to your account and you can re-open, edit and re-download it at any time.

Is a Copyright Transfer Agreement legally binding?

Once it is properly completed and signed by everyone involved, a Copyright Transfer Agreement is generally legally binding in Canada, provided it meets the legal requirements that apply to this type of document.

What laws apply to a Copyright Transfer Agreement in Canada?

A Copyright Transfer Agreement should comply with the laws in force in Canada. This template is built around the provisions such situations commonly require, but the rules can vary by region and change over time, so check the current requirements for your case.

Do I need a lawyer to use a Copyright Transfer Agreement?

For most standard situations you can complete the Copyright Transfer Agreement yourself using the guided questionnaire. For high-value, unusual or high-risk matters, it is sensible to have a qualified lawyer review the finished document.

How do I sign the Copyright Transfer Agreement?

Download the completed Copyright Transfer Agreement as Word or PDF and sign it as required in Canada. Depending on the document this may involve a handwritten or electronic signature, and some documents also need witnesses.

Is the Copyright Transfer Agreement free?

You can preview the Copyright Transfer Agreement and fill it in for free. A one-time fee applies only when you download the finished, ready-to-sign document in Word and PDF.

How long does it take to complete a Copyright Transfer Agreement?

Most people finish the Copyright Transfer Agreement in just a few minutes by answering the plain-English questions. You can save your progress and come back to it at any time.

Prepared and reviewed by the LegalDocs team.

Document preview

COPYRIGHT ASSIGNMENT AGREEMENT

(Made pursuant to the Copyright Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-42)

Province of ________

Effective Date: ________


BETWEEN

This Copyright Assignment Agreement (the “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of the Effective Date stated above, by and between:

THE ASSIGNOR. ________, an individual / business (business or registration number, if applicable: ________) having its principal place of residence or business at:

________

(the “Assignor”)


- AND -

THE ASSIGNEE. ________, a business incorporated / registered under the laws of ________ (business or registration number, if applicable: ________) having its principal place of business at:

________

(the “Assignee”)

The Assignor and the Assignee are collectively referred to as the “Parties” and individually as a “Party”.


RECITALS

A. The Assignor is the author and first owner of the copyright in the work described below (the “Work”):

________.

B. The Assignee is a business carrying on the following activity:

________.

C. The Assignor wishes to assign, and the Assignee wishes to acquire, the copyright and related economic rights in the Work upon the terms and conditions set out in this Agreement.


NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants contained herein and other good and valuable consideration (the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged), the Parties agree as follows:


§ 1 – ASSIGNMENT OF COPYRIGHT

1.1 In accordance with section 13 of the Copyright Act (Canada), the Assignor hereby irrevocably assigns, transfers and conveys to the Assignee, who accepts, all of the Assignor’s right, title and interest in and to the copyright and all economic rights in the Work, for the purpose of the following exploitation:

________.

1.2 The assignment is made on an exclusive basis. The Assignor shall not, within the Territory and for the Term, exploit the assigned rights, directly or indirectly, nor authorize their exploitation by any third party.

1.3 This assignment is required by law to be in writing and signed by the Assignor as the owner of the right pursuant to subsection 13(4) of the Copyright Act.

1.4 The Assignee undertakes to exploit the Work in strict compliance with the moral rights of the author. The Assignor expressly ________ (waives / does not waive) the moral rights in the Work as provided under section 14.1 of the Copyright Act. To the extent the moral rights are waived, such waiver may be invoked by the Assignee and by any person authorized by the Assignee to use the Work.


§ 2 – RIGHTS ASSIGNED

This assignment includes, without limitation:

2.1 The sole right to produce or reproduce the Work, or any substantial part thereof, in any material form whatever, in whole or in part, on any medium known or unknown to date, including without limitation physical, analog, magnetic, digital, electronic or optical media, by means including printing, photocopying, scanning, uploading, hosting on the Internet, copying or storage on a hard drive, memory card, USB key, optical disc, CD-ROM, DVD, or audio or video recording.

2.2 The sole right to perform, communicate, telecommunicate, publish and make available the Work to the public, in whole or in part, by any means or process known or unknown to date, including without limitation broadcast, over-the-air or digital terrestrial television, cable, satellite, cinema, the Internet, digital networks, computer storage, streaming, on-demand transmission, print publication, exhibition or performance in any public or private place.

2.3 The right to adapt, modify, translate, arrange, retouch or transform the Work to permit its exploitation in accordance with its intended purpose.

2.4 The right to manufacture, market, distribute and/or sell derivative products that reproduce, incorporate or evoke, in their form or content, all or part of the Work.

2.5 By express agreement, the Assignee may authorize, including by way of licence or sub-licence, the exploitation by a third party of all or part of the rights assigned hereunder, provided that the Assignee informs the Assignor and provides reasonable particulars of the sub-licensed third party.


§ 3 – TERRITORY

3.1 The assignment is valid for the following territory (the “Territory”): ________.


§ 4 – TERM

4.1 The assignment takes effect on the Effective Date and is granted for the following term (the “Term”): ________.

4.2 The copyright in the Work subsists for the full statutory term of protection provided under the Copyright Act (Canada) and any applicable foreign legislation and international conventions then or thereafter in force. Upon expiry of that statutory term, the Work shall enter the public domain.

4.3 Notwithstanding any provision herein, the Parties acknowledge the right of the Assignor’s estate to terminate this assignment by operation of subsection 14(1) of the Copyright Act at the end of twenty-five (25) years following the death of the Assignor, where applicable.


§ 5 – CONSIDERATION AND REMUNERATION

5.1 In consideration of the assignment, the Assignee shall pay to the Assignor a royalty proportional to the net revenues derived from the exploitation of the Work, calculated as follows:

________

5.2 Upon execution of this Agreement, the Assignee shall pay to the Assignor a non-refundable advance against royalties in the amount of ________ dollars ($________), recoverable from the royalty referred to in § 5.1.

5.3 All amounts payable hereunder are exclusive of applicable taxes (including GST/HST), which shall be added where required by law. All payments shall be made by cheque or electronic bank transfer to the order of the Assignor, upon presentation of a valid invoice, within ________ days of receipt.


§ 6 – ACCOUNTING AND AUDIT

6.1 The Assignee shall account to the Assignor for the exploitation of the Work and the calculation of the remuneration due. The Assignee shall deliver to the Assignor a statement of account on the following periodic basis: ________.


§ 7 – REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

7.1 The Assignor represents and warrants that it is the sole author and first owner of the copyright in the Work and of the assigned rights, and that nothing impedes their exploitation by the Assignee.

7.2 The Assignor represents and warrants that the Work is entirely original and does not infringe, by reproduction, resemblance or otherwise, the copyright, moral rights or any other right of any third party.

7.3 The Assignor warrants to the Assignee quiet enjoyment of the assigned rights.

7.4 The Assignor represents and warrants that no litigation, claim or proceeding has been commenced or, to its knowledge, threatened that could directly or indirectly jeopardize the assigned rights.

7.5 The Assignor shall cooperate with the Assignee in all steps reasonably necessary to protect and enforce the assigned rights, including the execution of further documents required to perfect or register the assignment, and shall provide such documents upon first written request.


§ 8 – INDEMNIFICATION

8.1 The Assignor shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Assignee from and against any loss, damage, liability, cost or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of any breach of the representations, warranties or covenants set out in § 7.


§ 9 – OBLIGATION TO EXPLOIT

9.1 The Assignee shall use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure the continuous exploitation of the Work in accordance with the customary practices of its industry.

9.2 In the event of a failure to exploit the Work, this Agreement shall terminate by operation of law upon the expiry of a period of two (2) months following written notice delivered by registered mail (with acknowledgement of receipt) that has remained without effect.


§ 10 – DELIVERY OF MATERIALS

10.1 Upon execution of this Agreement, the Assignor shall deliver to the Assignee the Work in its complete and final version, accepted by the Assignee, together with all supports, files and elements necessary for the exploitation of the assigned rights.


§ 11 – CONFIDENTIALITY

11.1 Each Party undertakes to keep strictly confidential all information, documents and data of any nature whatsoever, whether commercial, technical, financial or otherwise, communicated to it by the other Party or of which it becomes aware in the course of performing this Agreement.

11.2 This obligation of confidentiality applies for the entire Term and shall survive for a period of five (5) years following the expiry or termination of this Agreement, for any reason whatsoever.

11.3 Each Party shall ensure that this obligation is observed by its employees, agents and any other person acting on its behalf.

11.4 This obligation does not apply to information that is in the public domain (otherwise than through breach of this Agreement), that was lawfully known to the receiving Party prior to disclosure, or whose disclosure is required by law or by a competent judicial or administrative authority.


§ 12 – FORCE MAJEURE

12.1 Neither Party shall be liable for any failure or delay in performing its obligations resulting from an event of force majeure, being an event beyond its reasonable control that it could not reasonably foresee or overcome.

12.2 The affected Party shall notify the other Party by registered mail (with acknowledgement of receipt), describing the event and providing an estimate of its expected duration.

12.3 A force majeure event suspends performance of this Agreement. If performance cannot be resumed after a period of one (1) month, either Party may terminate this Agreement by registered mail (with acknowledgement of receipt), without notice or compensation on either side.


§ 13 – NOTICES AND ADDRESS FOR SERVICE


§ 14 – GENERAL PROVISIONS

14.1 Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the Parties with respect to its subject matter and supersedes all prior negotiations, representations and agreements, whether written or oral.

14.2 Amendment. No amendment to this Agreement is effective unless made in writing and signed by both Parties.

14.3 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

14.4 No Waiver. The failure of a Party to enforce any provision shall not constitute a waiver of that or any other provision.

14.5 Assignment. Neither Party may assign this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other Party, except as expressly permitted herein.

14.6 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts and by electronic signature, each of which shall be deemed an original and all of which together constitute one and the same instrument.


§ 15 – GOVERNING LAW AND FORUM

15.1 This Agreement is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of ________ and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein.

15.2 The Parties irrevocably attorn to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Province of ________, sitting in the judicial district of ________.

EXECUTION


Executed at ________, on ________.


In two (2) original copies.


THE ASSIGNEE




_________________________________
________, Authorized Representative of ________

Title: ________


Date: ________


THE ASSIGNOR




_________________________________
________, Authorized Representative of ________

Title: ________


Date: ________


WITNESS



_________________________________
________, Witness

Address: ________

Fields you complete are inserted into the document live. This template is general guidance only - not legal advice.