To comply with trade obligations outlined in the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), the Canadian Copyright Act was amended in June 2022 to extend copyright protections from 50 years to 70 years after the death of the author. These changes came into force on December 30, 2022. These copyright protections extend to literary, artistic, dramatic, or (most importantly) musical works. This changes effectively means that no new works will enter the public domain in Canada until 2043.
Because the application of the new amendment is not retroactive, it does not impact works which were already in the public domain as of December 30, 2022. This is good news for musicians who study and perform older works and rely on the public domain scores available in services like IMSLP. However, because IMSLP's servers are hosted in Canada, they will be required to comply with the new copyright durations when uploading new works. In practice, this will mean a 20-year freeze on the inclusion of new works in their database.
This also means changes to which scores you can freely copy held in the Music Library going forward. Any scores you find which are published prior to 1972 will still remain public domain, but any newer material is subject to copyright; however, fair dealing provisions allow the copying of musical scores for educational and study purposes.
Normally, you are able to copy 10% of a work for research, private study, education, parody, satire, criticism, review, and news reporting. There are some exceptions. You may also:
Note that if you are copying a standalone score, you are allowed to only copy 10% of the work under fair dealing guidelines.
If you are concerned about copyright, come talk to us in the Music Library. We have a large collection of physical material both in and out of copyright which you are allowed to borrow for up to 9 weeks at a time (renewals included), so even if you are not able to copy it you can borrow our copy for a substantial period. We also have digital score services available which are licensed and copyright compliant.
You can also learn more on the Libraries & Archives Copyright page or in the Mount Allison University Policy 5320 — Copyright — Fair Dealing Policy.
There is a printer/copier/scanner located just outside the Music Library entrance.
Upload documents to StudentPrint or print directly from any library computer. Release print jobs by tapping your ID card on the printer you have chosen (black-and-white only). Cost: $0.12 per page. Scanning is free.
Additional printers can be found in the R.P. Bell Library. Four printers / scanners / photocopiers are located in the Flying Bean Cafe area on the Main floor.
Visitors can e-mail print requests to Access Services.
Canadian Copyright Fair Dealing Exception rules apply for copying from published material
For information on photocopying guidelines and restrictions, please see:
Release and pay for print jobs with your MtA ID card