Unlocatable copyright owners


Unlocatable copyright owners

Copyright collectives often receive requests to use "orphan" works, which are works where no information is available about the copyright owners.

If the person making the request has taken all reasonable steps to find the copyright owner but has not been successful, they can apply to the Copyright Board to obtain the necessary permission.

Starting at that point, the copyright owners have up to 5 years to claim the royalties earned from that use.

In a recent example, Nelcya, the author of the children’s book Nogard ou Le Dragon qui voulait apprendre à vivre was tracked down. Research and word of mouth paid off!

Licences have been issued by the Copyright Board for the following unlocatable copyright owners and Copibec is still holding royalties for them:

  • ANONYMOUS. “Photographie d’Hubert Aquin” from the archives of La Presse newspaper, date unspecified
  • ANONYMOUS. “Le Rockhead Paradise (photographie)”, Virus Montreal, ISSN 0704-8475, Volume 1 (June 1978), back cover
  • Collective. La Revue de Manon, Montreal [Emma GENDRON éd.], 1925-1931
  • Collective. La Revue du Foyer, Montreal [Emma GENDRON & Joseph-Arthur HOMIER éd.], 1929-1931
  • Collective. Programmes du Montreal Repertory Theatre, Montreal: [n.p.], 193?-1960
  • Collective. Programmes du Théâtre Arcade, Montreal: [n.p.], 194?-1949
  • d’AUTEUIL, Marie-Louise (text); Le TESTUT, Gérard (illustrations). Mémoires d’une souris canadienne, -Montreal, Éditions Albert Lévesque / Librairie d’Action canadienne-française limitée (collection “Les Récompenses”), 1932
  • DAVELUY, Marie-Claire (text). Les Aventures de Perrine et de Charlot, Montreal, Bibliothèque de l’Action française, 1923
  • DAVELUY, Marie-Claire (text). La captivité de Charlot, Montreal, Librairie Granger Frères limitée, 1938
  • MÉLANÇON, Claude (text). Par terre et par eau, Québec, Le Soleil, 1928
  • OUELLETTE, Roger. “De Gaulle et Daniel Johnson entourés de plusieurs ministres français” photograph from the Fonds du journal L’Action catholique, May 19, 1967
  • OUELLETTE, Roger. “De Gaulle salue le premier ministre Johnson à la sortie de l’Élysée” photograph from the Fonds du journal L’Action catholique, May 21, 1967
  • PAGÉ, Jean-Charles. Les Fous crient au secours. Montreal, les Éditions du Jour, 1961

If you recognize any of the names listed, please contact us or encourage the copyright owners to reach out to us.

You can also share this list among people you know. Who knows, maybe you’ll help someone receive royalty amounts they’re owed. That’s a good way to start the year!

Thank you for your help.