Copyright & Intellectual Property Policy

Key Points Summary

  • Idea Exchange is not responsible for infringing copies made by users of Idea Exchange’s copying equipment or Makerspaces. It’s the user’s obligation and responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions.
  • Idea Exchange staff and members may make copies for specific purposes under the fair dealing provision of the Copyright Act.

Purpose

To outline Idea Exchange’s role and position related to applicable Copyright and Intellectual Property legislation.

Definitions

Copyright is a legal means of protecting an author/creator’s work.

Intellectual Property refers to the ownership of intangible and non-physical goods.

Fair Dealing is a user’s right in copyright law permitting use of a copyright protected work without permission or payment of copyright royalties for the purpose of research, private study, education, satire, parody, criticism, review or news reporting, provided that what you do with the work is ‘fair’.

Policy Details

Idea Exchange seeks to advocate for, inform and support the intellectual property rights of the creator as outlined within Canadian legislation while balancing the social benefit and educational value of fair use.

Idea Exchange respects the copyright, patent rights, trademark rights and moral rights of authors and intellectual property rights holders and seeks to educate Idea Exchange members about these rights with regard to Idea Exchange’s physical and digital collections.

The majority of the materials in the Idea Exchange collection are subject to copyright. It is not the role of Idea Exchange staff to interpret the Copyright Act for members. Responsibility regarding copyright arising from the use and/or copying is the responsibility of the member making the copy, whether the member uses their own or Idea Exchange equipment.

The intellectual property laws of Canada govern the making of reproductions and/or use of some materials. Certain copying may be an infringement of copyright law. Idea Exchange is not responsible for infringing copies made by users of Idea Exchange’s copying equipment and Makerspaces. It is the user’s obligation and responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions (such as patent, industrial design or trademark legislation) when using Idea Exchange’s collections, equipment and software.

Fair dealing is a long-standing feature of Canadian copyright law that permits certain uses of copyright material in ways that do not unduly harm the interests of copyright owners, but which could have significant social benefits. In Canada, fair dealing does not infringe copyright and is limited to the purpose of research, private study, education, parody or satire:

  • Idea Exchange staff and members may make copies for specific purposes under the fair dealing provision of the Copyright Act. Any concerns of the legitimacy of staff copying for these purposes will be referred to Idea Exchange’s Chief Executive Officer or delegate.
  • Idea Exchange’s copying services, whether the copy is made by Idea Exchange staff or a member, are provided without a motive of financial gain. The fee charged is intended to cover a portion of Idea Exchange’s costs.
  • Idea Exchange pays for a Public Libraries Licence from Access Copyright to ensure that original creators and publishers are proportionally compensated for copying done on our photocopying machines.

Idea Exchange retains copyright for content created by Idea Exchange. This material can be used for personal or research use without prior permission. Idea Exchange requests attribution in the personal and scholarly use of the material. A credit line, “Courtesy of Idea Exchange” should be provided if material reproduced from the Idea Exchange’s collections is published for commercial or non-commercial purposes in print, online, or in other media. Commercial use including but not limited to: reproductions, redistribution, publication, or transmission whether by electronic means or otherwise without prior written permission from Idea Exchange is prohibited.

Images on the Art Galleries of Cambridge site are subject to copyright. Reproduction is prohibited without prior written permission from Idea Exchange and the artists.

More Information

For more information on Intellectual Property, please visit the Canadian Intellectual Property Office’s website.

For more information on Canadian Copy, please visit their website.

For more information on Idea Exchange’s Public Libraries Photocopying Licence please visit the Access Copyright website.

Adopted: September 25, 2019 (Board Motion 19.51)

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1 North Square, Cambridge, ON N1S 2K6
Phone: 519-621-0460

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