Does Crown copyright apply to statutes, regulations, and court decisions?

Theoretically, since laws and court decisions are made by or under the direction or control of the Crown, these kinds of materials would be copyrighted by the government. Historically, however, the government has recognized that citizens in a democracy have a right to free access to the laws and rulings of their elected and appointed officials.

The courts have also ruled that statutes, regulations, and judicial decisions were in the public domain because recognizing copyright in them would go against public policy. Therefore, these materials have traditionally been available to anyone, without any copyright restriction.

Some governments in Canada have considered asserting copyright in statutes, regulations, and court rulings. This would allow those governments to raise revenue by collecting royalties when the materials were copied or published in other works. However, the federal government has recently issued an regulatory order that all federal laws and court rulings are to be freely available to be copied by anyone without charge or request for permission.

---

WARNING: The contents of these FAQs are intended as general legal information only.
If you have a personal problem, please consult a lawyer.