Copibec is a non-profit organization authorized by authors, publishers, journalists, etc., to manage the rights for the use of their copyrighted material. Under international agreements, Copibec negotiates comprehensive or one-time licensing agreements allowing the use of millions of written works from around the world.

The Quebec ministry of education has an agreement with Copibec covering all public and private subsidized schools in the province, including adult education and vocational training centres.

For education purposes, you’re allowed to reproduce, share, display or read out excerpts from documents on paper (photocopies, printouts or in-class projections using a document camera) or in digital format (Mozaïk portal or other secure site, email, PowerPoint, smartboard or live reading).
To find out more, click here.

The agreement covers the following types of content published in Canada or in over 30 other countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, France, Belgium, etc.:

• Books
• Textbooks and workbooks
• Sheet music collections
• Magazine and newspaper articles
• Images from books
• Song lyrics
• Unpublished plays

The usage limits in the elementary and high school agreement apply to the same group for the entire school year. The limits depend on the type of document and how it is used.

Reproducing excerpts on paper or in digital format

Publications developed specifically for preschool, elementary, high school, adult education or vocational training purposes:

· 10% of the publication, up to a maximum of 25 pages

All other publications:

· 15% of the publication

Using a document camera to display a paper-format book in class or using a smartboard to display a digital-format book

· 100% of the publication

Live reading in class or in a virtual classroom

· 100% of the publication

Reproducing an unpublished play to rehearse with a group of students

· 100% of the publication

To find out if you can exceed the limits, you’ll need to submit a request through our Savia site. In general, use can be authorized at a rate of $0.12 per page for any pages exceeding the limit. However, if you intend to use a large portion or all the pages of the publication, the copyright owner has the option of applying their own rates or refusing to allow the use.

Displaying material on a website that can be accessed by the public or by users other than students (Facebook groups, blogs, etc.).

Sharing or selling copyrighted material (for example, excerpts included in teacher-created material that will be shared with colleagues or sold online through sites such as Mieux Enseigner).

Copying material into any artificial intelligence (AI) tool.

Reproducing or sharing excerpts from copyrighted material without mentioning the source. In other words, using material that does not cite the source.

Modifying, translating or adapting content. The Copibec agreement only allows material to be reproduced as is. Any modifications affect the moral rights of the author and publisher and therefore must be authorized by them.

• Use only content in the Copibec repertoire (catalogue). Check the list of exclusions to be sure.
• Stay within the usage limits and request permission if you intend to exceed the limit.
• Indicate the sources of the content used.
• Take part in the data collection process if your school or institution is selected.

Every year, Copibec collects data from a sample of educational institutions throughout Quebec in accordance with the agreement between Copibec and the Quebec ministry of education. Teaching personnel in the selected institutions are required to report their use of copyrighted material (content photocopied, scanned, displayed onscreen or read out loud) in the classroom or for education purposes.

The data is essential so Copibec can redistribute the royalties received from the education ministry. By reporting your use, you help ensure that content creators and publishers are paid to compensate them for their work and creativity. It’s a great way to encourage them to continue their research, write new content or dream up original new stories!

Definitely! Every year, when paying out royalties, we take into account all the content use reported to us during the school year, regardless of who reported it.

An agreement administrator is appointed in every school selected to take part in Copibec’s data collection process. The administrator serves as the intermediary between Copibec and school personnel and is responsible for managing any requests to exceed the limits (allowing or declining them).

The administrator can also look up the data reported and the list of people from their school who have a Copibec account.

More information is available about the administrator role on our site: https://www.copibec.ca/fr/collecte-admin. (French only)

The data collection process starts in September. That’s a good time to create your account on our Savia site. Here’s a tutorial in French explaining how to create your account: Tutoriel, création de compte.
Everyone on staff who’s likely to use material for students in the classroom should have their own account.

The school year is divided into three reporting periods ending on the following dates:

• November 30 (for content used between the start of the school year and November 30)
• March 31 (for content used between December 1 and March 31)
• June 30 (for content used between April 1 and the end of the school year)

You have the option of reporting your content use as often as you like during the period or you can wait until each period ends.

Yes, the Savia platform allows you to change schools because we know many of you may switch locations during the year!

In the Savia platform, all the content you use in each reporting period can now be reported on a single page.

A tutorial is available in French showing you how to report content use: Tutoriel, enregistrer une déclaration

Be sure to report any content covered by the Copibec agreement, including all use that falls within the agreement’s limits. The data you provide is important because it enables Copibec to pay out royalties for the content used in educational institutions.

Please refer to the previous section of the FAQ for information on the types of content and uses covered by the agreement.

No, that type of content isn’t covered by the Copibec agreement and doesn’t have to be reported. For example, sites distributing audio and video material, blogs or web pages. *However, magazine or newspaper articles or song lyrics obtained online must be reported.

Read more: Can I legally show YouTube videos or movies in the classroom?

Yes. The Copyright Act allows only short excerpts to be read in class. Fortunately, you don’t have to request permission in advance every time you read out a portion of a published work because the agreement between Copibec and the education ministry covers the entire work read out in class. All we ask is that you report your content use so creators can be compensated.

To report that type of content in the Savia platform, select Digital (even if the document is on paper) and then DG or Live Reading.

The number of copies corresponds to the number of students in the class.

The number of pages in the excerpt corresponds to the number of pages read out loud.

If you didn’t use any copyrighted material during the current period, you won’t have to report any content use. Simply make sure you’ve already opened an account on Copibec’s Savia reporting platform.

Your account gives you access to our SAMUEL platform containing a wide variety of resources for teaching professionals. If you reproduce any content in a subsequent period, please report your use.

Yes. Access to the SAMUEL platform is free for anyone working in a Quebec educational institution. All you need is a Savia account associated with a school.

In addition to viewing the resources in SAMUEL, the Copibec agreement allows you to reproduce or share them.

The SAMUEL platform contains over 47,000 digital documents of all types. You can download excerpts and share them with your students. Every download is automatically reported in Savia, which ensures that royalties are paid to creators.

You can take advantage of the DONA service! DONA is a Copibec platform that provides PDF versions of student workbooks and textbooks that can be read using Lexibar and WordQ. Various Quebec publishers have made more than 2,000 books available on DONA as PDFs.