Artist royalties and copyrights in Canada: 2026 guide

Copyright automatically protects any original work upon its creation, without formality. No need to register to be protected. But official registration with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) facilitates defense in the event of a dispute.

Protection duration in Canada: life of the author + 70 years (since 2022, alignment with international standards).

You can sell limited reproductions (limited prints) of your works or authorize partners to manufacture merchandise (postcards, bags, clothing).

Typical royalty:

• Limited print managed by you: full margin after printing costs
• License to a third-party publisher: 10 to 25% of the public selling price
• Recurring royalty: 5 to 15% on generated sales

Useful strategy for generating passive income while keeping the sale of originals as a premium product.

When your works are exhibited in a museum, subsidized art center, or public gallery, you are entitled to an exhibition fee according to the CARFAC (Canadian Artists Representation) fee schedule. This schedule is updated annually.

2025 examples (to be validated for 2026):

• Solo exhibition in a national museum: $4,500 to $6,800 depending on venue size
• Group exhibition: $350 to $1,200
• Artwork reproduction in a catalog: $350 to $700

This fee is due on top of the right of sale. Many artists forget to invoice it.

If one of your works is reproduced in a book, magazine, or textbook, the publisher must pay you an editorial license. CARFAC fee schedule or direct negotiation.

2026 order of magnitude:

• Book cover reproduction: $600 to $1,500
• Interior reproduction: $200 to $500 per image
• Magazine page reproduction: $300 to $800

Much rarer for visual artists than for musicians, but it exists. Your artwork can be used for an ad campaign, product packaging, film set. Rates negotiated case by case, generally between $2,000 and $50,000 depending on broadcast scope.

Important: retain the right to use your artwork in other contexts even after a commercial license. Otherwise, you're selling your right, not a license.

If you collaborate with another artist, a designer, an architect, royalties must be contracted in advance. Without a clear contract, conflicts are frequent. Always document who holds which derivative rights before creation, not after.

The resale royalty right allows an artist to receive a percentage on every resale of their artwork on the secondary market. This right has existed in France since 1920, in the European Union since 2001, and in the UK since 2006.

In Canada, the resale right is regularly proposed to Parliament but has not been adopted as of 2026. CARFAC and RAAV continue their lobbying for its adoption.

Practical consequence: if your artwork sold for $2,000 resells for $50,000 at Heffel 15 years later, you get nothing on this resale. The secondary market enriches dealers, not creators.

• Systematic copyright mention: On every digital artwork online (site, social media), note © Your Name Year. On your documents: 'All rights reserved'.
• Watermark on online images: For high-res images on your site, discreet watermark (bottom corner). Discourages unauthorized reuse without ruining visibility.
• CIPO registration for major works: For your 5 to 10 most important works, consider official registration with CIPO. Modest cost, solid legal proof.
• Explicit license contracts: For any use of your works by a third party, written contract specifying duration, territory (Quebec, Canada, world), authorized media (print, web, video), authorized print run, flat fee or recurring royalty, mandatory mention of your name.