Copyright protections serve as a powerful economic incentive for creators, spurring them to produce fresh and original content. In a society that places significant value on creative and intellectual resources, the aim is to ensure the ongoing creation of new novels, the birth of fresh paintings, and the recording of inspiring music. When creators have the opportunity to derive financial rewards from their works, the likelihood of them creating and sharing these works increases. This, in turn, paves the way for an innovative and culturally rich society. 

Of course, all rights need to be balanced. Copyright law seeks to protect the rights of creators without making it impossible to freely use works in certain situations. The law does this by providing for exceptions and limitations to the creator’s rights, notably through mechanisms like “fair dealing”. This concept allows for copyrighted works to be used without permission of the copyright owner when it’s for certain purposes like education, criticism, research, and news reporting. This allows for the works of visual artists and authors to become part of a rich public dialogue and discussion about their creations. 

During the term of copyright, anyone who wishes to copy, adapt or do another “restricted act” in relation to someone else’s copyrighted work, generally needs to ask for permission unless a copyright exception applies.

However, these restrictions don’t last forever. When the term of copyright expires, a work passes into the “public domain” and may then be freely used without the need for permission. This means a screenwriter could freely adapt a novel, or a collage artist could use another artists’ images, so long as the works are in the “public domain.” Having a rich public domain can help foster creativity and cultural richness, which is one of the main purposes of copyright laws!