06/02/2006

Those readers who have kids and are waiting with tredipation for the day when their offspring ask the question every parent dreads will be relieved to know they can now direct inquisitive minds to a Canadian website guaranteed to take the embarrassment out of that most sensitive of subjects.

So, when little Johnny finally asks “Dad, where does intellectual property come from?”, there’s no need to fake an urgent appointment and rush from the room with a quick “ask your mother”, because Captain Copyright is on hand to set the record straight.

And how. Try the unexpurgated glossary of copyright terms, the heartwarming Story of Captain Copyright, or the educational Copyright Quiz which kicks off with: “You wrote a poem for class. Do you have to register it with the Copyright Board of Canada for your poem to be protected by copyright law? Yes or No?”

Oh yeah, and here’s a fun fact about Canadian copyright guaranteed to burn itself indelibly into any developing brain: “Ottawa in 1889 passed an act requiring that, in order to secure Canadian copyright, a book would have to be published in Canada within one month of its publication elsewhere; otherwise, that book (in intent, that American book) would be considered common property in Canada, which meant it could be re-published without penalty by any Canadian firm.”

Yes, I tried that one on my own 14-year-old son and he immediately jumped from the sofa where he’d been punishing his Playstation and declared: “Dad, forget that quad bike I wanted for Christmas. Get me a book on Canadian copyright law instead because I see now that when I grow up I want to be an intellectual property lawyer and make the world a safer, better place for my children and my children’s children.”

Thank you, Captain Copyright!