Sample copyright statement for your course syllabus

In Canada, copyright law automatically protects written and creative works (e.g. text, art, music or performance), in all formats, as soon as they are created and until 70 years after the creator’s death. The creator of the work (i.e. author, composer or artist) often owns copyright, though for published works the publisher may own copyright.

A work does not need to be marked with © or a copyright statement to be protected.

A copyright protected work cannot be copied (i.e. scanned, printed, downloaded, emailed or photocopied) without the copyright owner’s permission, except in certain situations outlined in the Copyright Act (see SFU’s Fair Dealing Policy for details).

Sharing pdfs or other copies of textbooks and course materials, whether or not you profit from it, may be a violation of Canadian copyright law and SFU policies.

Your instructor’s course materials such as PowerPoint slides, lecture notes, the lecture itself and exams are all protected by copyright. Recording, copying or sharing these materials without permission may be a violation of Canadian copyright law and SFU policies.

SFU students, faculty and staff are required to abide by Canada’s Copyright Act as well as SFU’s copyright policies.

Find information about what this means for students at SFU’s copyright website, copyright.sfu.ca, or by contacting the Copyright Office at copy@sfu.ca.

If you are copying works, using them in presentations and projects, or sharing them with other students, visit Copyright for students at SFU for information and FAQs.