The Evolution of Originality in Canadian Copyright Law: Authorship, Reward and the Public Interest

: Originality is a foundational concept in copyright law: it defines the works to which copyright attaches and delineates the scope of protection they receive. The Supreme Court of Canada, in its recent ruling in CCH Canadian Ltd. v. Law Society of Upper Canada, appears to have settled the conflict between creativity and sweat-of-the-brow standards for originality, espousing a compromise position requiring “skill and judgment.” In this paper, the author aims to locate the evolution of the originality doctrine within the context of a foundational shift in Canadian copyright theory. When “benefiting authors” was copyright’s only recognized purpose, originality was determined with reference to the author’s rights: the emergence of a creativity threshold in Canada was infused with a personality-based vision of the author’s rights; the industriousness threshold was informed by a perceived need to reward an author’s labour. However, the Supreme Court in Théberge v. Galerie d’Art du Petit Champlain insisted that furthering the public interest in the production and dissemination of intellectual works is also a primary purpose of copyright. The CCH decision at the Supreme Court represents the first occasion on which a Canadian court has taken the public interest side of the copyright “balance” seriously when defining and applying the originality standard. The author argues that this elevation of public interest considerations provides a more suitable framework for developing copyright policy, particularly in the “information age.” However, given the case-by-case nature of originality determinations and the tensions inherent in the Théberge balancing act, the author cautions that the actual consequences of this development remain to be seen.= = = = Résumé: L’originalité est un concept fondamental en droit d’auteur. Il définit l’oeuvre protégée par le droit d’auteur et délimite la portée de la protection accordée à l’oeuvre. La Cour suprême du Canada, dans sa décision récente dans l’affaire CCH Canadian Ltd. c. Barreau du Haut-Canada, semble avoir résolu le conflit entre les normes de créativité et de travail à la sueur de son front caractérisant l’originalité, en optant pour une solution de compromis exigeant du talent et du jugement . Dans cet article, l’auteure trace l’évolution de la doctrine d’originalité dans le contexte du changement fondamental de la théorie canadienne du droit d’auteur. Lorsque les auteurs n’étaient reconnus que pour les fins du droit d’auteur, l’originalité était déterminée en fonction des droits de l’auteur. La question du seuil de cr