List of countries' copyright length
Encyclopedia
This is a list of different countries and the length of their standard copyright
in years. See copyright term
.
Although they are not countries, the list also includes entries for the European Union
, Berne Convention
, and the Universal Copyright Convention
, which set minimum terms for their member nations or signatories. The Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), though not included, requires a copyright length of at least 50 years after death.
and the University of Pennsylvania
(see External links). Where no more specific information is available for a country, an indication of its probable minimum copyright term can be gained from its status as:
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
in years. See copyright term
Copyright term
Copyright term is the length of time copyright subsists in a work before it passes into the public domain.- Length of copyright:Copyright subsists for a variety of lengths in different jurisdictions. The length of the term can depend on several factors, including the type of work Copyright term is...
.
Although they are not countries, the list also includes entries for the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, Berne Convention
Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works
The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, usually known as the Berne Convention, is an international agreement governing copyright, which was first accepted in Berne, Switzerland in 1886.- Content :...
, and the Universal Copyright Convention
Universal Copyright Convention
The Universal Copyright Convention , adopted at Geneva in 1952, is one of the two principal international conventions protecting copyright; the other is the Berne Convention....
, which set minimum terms for their member nations or signatories. The Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), though not included, requires a copyright length of at least 50 years after death.
Legend
- ibid. = ibidem, "in the same place"
- 0, no copyright = not copyrighted
- Life + xx years = copyrighted for authors' lifetime plus xx years after their deaths
- xx years after publication, creation, etc. = copyrighted for xx years since publication, creation, etc., of works
- Until year end = copyrighted until the end of a calendar year, i.e. December 31
- Berne = has signed the Berne Convention, see Berne in the "Countries, ..." column
Table
| Countries, areas, and entities | Copyright terms based on authors' deaths | Copyright terms based on publication and creation dates | Until year end? |
|---|---|---|---|
 AfghanistanAfghanistan and copyright issues - International agreements :In 1958, Afghanistan ratified the Agreement on the Importation of Educational, Scientific and Cultural Materials, with Annexes A to E and Protocol annexed... |
No copyright, but a law is under process | Underprocess, trademarks are active | |
 Albania |
Life + 70 years | 70 years from publication (anonymous or pseudonymous work) 70 years from publication; 70 years from creation if unpublished (photographic or audiovisual work of joint authorship) 25 years from production (works of applied art) |
Yes |
 Algeria |
Life + 50 years (except posthumous work) | 50 years from publication; 50 years from creation if unpublished (collective work, anonymous or pseudonymous work, audiovisual work, posthumous work) 50 years from creation (photographs or the work of applied art) |
Yes |
 Andorra |
Life + 70 years | 70 years from publication; 70 years from creation if unpublished (collective work with unknown authorship) 70 years from publication (anonymous or pseudonymous work) |
Yes |
 Angola |
Life + 50 years Life + 25 years (photographic works or applied arts) |
Yes | |
 Anguilla |
Life + 50 years | 50 years from the death of the author, of the last surviving author for works with more than one author. | |
 Antigua and Barbuda |
Life + 50 years | 50 years from publication; 50 years from creation if unpublished (anonymous or pseudonymous work, computer generated work, sound recording or film) 50 years from creation (broadcast); 50 years after programme included in a cable programme service 25 years from publication (typographical arrangement of a published edition) |
Yes |
 Argentina |
Life + 70 years | 50 years from publication (anonymous intellectual works belonging to institutions, corporations or legal persons) | Yes |
 Armenia |
Life + 70 years | 70 years from publication (anonymous or pseudonymous works) | Yes |
 Aruba |
Life + 50 years | ||
 AustraliaAustralian copyright law The copyright law of Australia defines the legally enforceable rights of creators of creative and artistic works under Australian law. The scope of copyright in Australia is defined in the Australian Copyright Act 1968 , which applies the national law throughout Australia... (including external territories) |
Life + 70 years [Life + 50 years (death before 1955)] |
70 years from publication (sound recordings, cinematograph films) 50 years after making (television broadcasts and sound broadcasts) [50 years from publication (photographs, no longer applicable since 1 January 2005)] |
Yes |
 Austria |
Life + 70 years | 70 years from publication; 70 years from creation if unpublished (anonymous or pseudonymous work) | Yes |
 Azerbaijan |
Life + 50 years (except posthumous work published at first time during 30 years) | 50 years from publication (anonymous or pseudonymous work; posthumous work published at first time during 30 years) | Yes |
 The Bahamas |
Berne | ||
 Bahrain |
Life + 50 calendar years (except posthumous work) | 50 calendar years from publication (cinematographic films, applied arts works and photographs; anonymous or pseudonymous works; corporate works; posthumous works) 40 years from publication or 50 years from completion, whichever is earlier (computer software) |
|
 Bangladesh |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Barbados |
Life + 50 years | 50 years from publication (anonymous or pseudonymous works) 50 years from making (computer-generated work) 50 years from publication; 50 years from creation if unpublished (sound recordings and films) 50 years from creation (broadcast); 50 years after programme included in a cable programme service 25 years from publication (typographical arrangement of a published edition) |
Yes |
 Belarus |
Life + 50 years | 50 years from publication or if unpublished 50 years from creation (anonymous or pseudonymous works) 50 years from fixation (performance) 50 years from publication or if unpublished 50 years from fixation (phonogram) 50 years from the first broadcast or cable transmission |
Yes |
 Belgium |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Belize |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Benin |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Bermuda |
Life + 50 years | ||
| Berne Convention Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, usually known as the Berne Convention, is an international agreement governing copyright, which was first accepted in Berne, Switzerland in 1886.- Content :... signatories |
Life + 50 years Signatories may grant longer terms. |
50 years from publication or if not shown 50 years from creation (cinematographic works) 50 years from publication (anonymous or pseudonymous works) 25 years from creation (photographic works) Signatories may grant longer terms. |
Yes |
 Bhutan |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Bolivia |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Botswana |
Berne, TRIPS, WCT | ||
 Brazil |
Life + 70 years | ||
 British Indian Ocean Territory |
unknown | ||
 British Virgin Islands |
unknown | ||
 Brunei |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Kingdom of Bulgaria |
Life + 70 years (EU) | ||
 Burkina Faso |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Burundi |
Life + 50 years | 50 years from publication (phonograms) | |
 Cambodia |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Cameroon |
Life + 50 years | ||
 CanadaCanadian copyright law The copyright law of Canada governs the legally enforceable rights to creative and artistic works under the laws of Canada. Canada passed its first colonial copyright statute in 1832 but was subject to imperial copyright law established by Britain until 1921... |
Life + 50 yearss. 7, S.C. 1997, c. 24 | For anonymous works, 50 years from publication or 75 years from creation, whichever is shorter. | Yes |
 Cape Verde |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Cayman Islands |
unknown | ||
 Central African Republic |
Berne, TRIPS | ||
 Chad |
Berne, TRIPS | ||
 ChileChilean copyright law The copyright law of Chile is governed by Law No. 17,336, on Intellectual Property of October 2 of 1970 and subsequent amendments. It was implemented in the Decree No... |
Life + 70 years | ||
 China, People's Republic of (Mainland only) |
Life + 50 years (citizens' works) | 50 years from publication or if unpublished 50 years from creation (works of legal entities, cinematographic works, films or photographic works) | Yes |
 Colombia |
Life + 80 years | 80 years from publication (cinematographic works) | Yes |
 Comoros |
Berne | ||
 Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Berne, TRIPS | ||
 Republic of the Congo |
Berne, TRIPS | ||
 Costa Rica |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Côte d'Ivoire |
Life + 99 years (except posthumous works published within this period) | 99 years from publication (photographic or audiovisual works or works of applied art; anonymous or pseudonymous works; posthumous works) | Yes |
 Independent State of Croatia |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Cuba |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Cyprus |
Life + 50 years (EU, WCT) |
||
 Czech Republic |
Life + 70 years | 70 years from publication (anonymous works) | Yes |
 Denmark |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Djibouti |
Life + 25 years (Berne, TRIPS) | 25 years from publication or if unpublished 25 years from completion (film) 25 years from completion (a photographic work or a work of applied art) |
Yes |
 Dominica |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Dominican Republic |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Ecuador |
Life + 70 years | ||
 EgyptEgyptian copyright law Egyptian copyright law has evolved over time. The currently applicable legislation in Egypt with regard to copyright is Book Three of the Law on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights 82 of 2002, which entered into force on 3 June 2002, the day following its publication in the Official... |
Life + 50 years | ||
 El Salvador |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Equatorial Guinea |
Berne | ||
 Eritrea |
unknown | ||
 Estonia |
Life + 70 years (EU) | 70 years from publication (anonymous or pseudonymous works) | Yes |
 Ethiopia |
Life + 50 years | ||
 European Union Members |
Life + 70 years | 70 years from publication or if unpublished 70 years from creation (anonymous works) | Yes |
 Fiji |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Finland |
Life + 70 years | 50 years from publication (sound recordings, television broadcasts and sound broadcasts) 50 years from creation (photographic works) |
Yes |
 FranceFrench copyright law The droit d'auteur developed in the 18th century at the same time as copyright developed in the United Kingdom. Based on the "right of the author" instead of on "copyright", its philosophy and terminology are different from those used in copyright law in common law jurisdictions... |
Life + 70 years (except posthumous works published after this term) The following additions to copyright term formerly applied to all works, but the French Cour de Cassation Court of Cassation (France) The French Supreme Court of Judicature is France's court of last resort having jurisdiction over all matters triable in the judicial stream but only scope of review to determine a miscarriage of justice or certify a question of law based solely on points of law... has found them to be superseded by later copyright treaties, thus limiting the copyright term to life + 70 years total, at least for non-musical works of authors who did not "die for France". + 6 years 152 days for musical work published through 1920 + 8 years and 120 days for musical work published through 1947 + 30 years for all works if the author died on active service Mort pour la France Mort pour la France is a term used in the French legal system for people who died during a conflict, usually in service of the country.- Definition :... |
70 years from publication (pseudonymous, anonymous or collective works) 25 years from publication (posthumous works published after Art. L123-1 term) |
Yes |
 Gabon |
Berne, TRIPS, WCT | ||
 The Gambia |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Georgia (country) |
Life + 70 years | ||
 GermanyGerman copyright law German authors' right or Deutsches Urheberrecht is codified in the Gesetz über Urheberrecht und verwandte Schutzrechte .... |
Life + 70 years | 25 years from first publication or first public performance if copyright has expired before such publication or performance, or if the work has never been protected in Germany and the author died more than 70 years before the first publication | Yes |
 Ghana |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Greece |
Life + 70 years | 70 years from publication (anonymous or pseudonymous works) | Yes |
 Grenada |
Berne, TRIPS | ||
 Guatemala |
Life + 75 years | 75 years from publication or if unpublished 75 years from creation (computer programs and collective works; anonymous or pseudonymous works; audiovisual works) | Yes |
 Guinea |
TRIPS, WCT | ||
 Guinea-Bissau |
Berne, TRIPS | ||
 Guyana |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Haiti |
Berne, TRIPS | ||
 Honduras |
Life + 75 years | 70 years from publication or, if unpublished within 50 years, 70 years from creation (works of applied art and photographs) | Yes |
 Hong KongHong Kong copyright law Copyright law in Hong Kong to a great extent follows the English model. The Basic Law of Hong Kong, its constitutional document, guarantees a high degree of autonomy and continuation of laws previously in force after its reunification with Mainland China. Hong Kong therefore continues to maintain... |
Life + 50 years (literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works with known authorship) Life + 50 years (films) |
50 years from publication or if unpublished 50 years from creation (literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works with unknown authorship) 50 years from publication or if unpublished 50 years from creation (sound recordings) 50 years from creation (broadcast); 50 years after programme included in a cable programme service 25 years from publication (typographical arrangement of published editions) |
Yes |
 Hungary |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Iceland |
Life + 70 years | ||
 IndiaIndian copyright law Indian copyright law is governed by the Indian Copyright Act, 1957. Copyright Law in the country was governed by the Copyright Act of 1914,which was essentially the extension of the British Copyright Act, 1911 to India,and borrowed extensively from the new Copyright Act of the United Kingdom of 1956... |
Life + 60 years (except posthumous works) | 60 years from publication (posthumous works, photographs, cinematograph films, sound recordings, works of public undertakings, and works of international organisations) | Yes |
 Indonesia |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Iran |
Life + 50 years | 30 years from publication (photographic or cinematographic works) | |
 Iraq |
Life + 50 years | ||
 IrelandIrish copyright law Copyright law of the Republic of Ireland is applicable to most typical copyright situations and includes a provision for "fair dealing", similar to that used by other countries.-History:... |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Israel |
Life + 70 years | 50 years from publication (photographs created till May 2007) | Yes |
 Italy |
Life + 70 years [Life + 50 years] |
70 years from publication (anonymous or pseudonymous work) 20 years from publication (copyright of State, the provinces, the communes, the academies or public cultural organizations, or to private legal entities of a non-profit making character) |
Yes |
 Jamaica |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Japan |
Life + 50 years | 70 years from publication or if unpublished 70 years from creation (cinematographic works) 50 years from publication or if unpublished 50 years from creation (works of a legal person or other corporate body) |
Yes |
 JordanJordanian copyright law The Jordanian Copyright Law and its Amendment No. for the year 1992 is based on the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works and does not contain a definition of copyright; however in Article it clearly states that the law offers legal protection to any kind of original... |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Kazakhstan |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Kenya |
Life + 50 years (literary, musical or artistic work other than photographs) | 50 years from the latest of creation or publication (audio-visual works and photographs) | Yes |
 Kiribati |
Life + 50 years | ||
| Life + 50 years (Berne) | Works authored by "an institution, enterprise or organization", 50 years from publication | ||
| Life + 50 years | 50 years from publication or if unpublished 50 years from creation (organizational works) | Yes | |
 Kuwait |
TRIPS | ||
 Kyrgyzstan |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Laos |
0, no copyright. | 0, no copyright. | |
 Latvia |
Life + 70 years [Life + 50 years] |
70 years from publication (anonymous or pseudonymous work) | Yes |
 Lebanon |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Lesotho |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Libya |
Life + 25 years with 50-year minimum (as of 1968; may have changed since) | ||
 Liechtenstein |
Life + 70 years [Life + 50 years] |
||
 Lithuania |
Life + 70 years [Life + 50 years] |
||
 Luxembourg |
Life + 70 years [Life + 50 years] |
||
 Macau(b) |
Life + 50 years | 50 years from publication (anonymous works) 50 years from publication (audiovisual works) 25 years from completion (works of applied art and photographic works) |
Yes |
 Republic of Macedonia |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Madagascar |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Malawi |
Life + 50 years | ||
 MalaysiaCopyright law of Malaysia -External links:***... |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Maldives |
Life + 50 years from death. | ||
 Mali |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Malta |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Marshall Islands |
0, no copyright. Copyright legislation is not known to exist. | 0, no copyright. | |
 Mauritania |
Berne, TRIPS | ||
 Mauritius |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Mexico |
Life +100 years (effective 23 July 2003 non-retroactively) [Life + 75 years (before the law change on 23 July 2003, applicable for deaths before 23 July 1928)] [Life + 50 years (before the law change on 1 January 1994, applicable for deaths before 1 January 1944)] |
||
| Micronesia Micronesia Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest.... |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Moldova |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Monaco |
WCT | ||
 Mongolia |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Kingdom of Montenegro |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Morocco |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Mozambique |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Myanmar |
TRIPS | ||
 Namibia |
Life + 50 years (except posthumous works) | 50 years from publication (posthumous works) 50 years from publication or if unpublished 50 years from creation (cinematograph films, photographs and computer programs) |
Yes |
 Nauru |
unknown | ||
 Nepal |
Life + 50 years | 25 years from creation (applied art and photographic work) | |
 NetherlandsDutch copyright law Dutch copyright law grants exclusive rights to the author of a work of literature, science or art. It was originally intended to cover books, but today it applies to many other materials including films, recorded music and visual art.... |
Life + 70 years | 70 years from publication (anonymous or pseudonymous work, corporate works with no listed natural author) | |
 New ZealandCopyright law of New Zealand The copyright law of New Zealand is covered by the Copyright Act 1994 and subsequent amendments. It is administered by Intellectual Property Policy Unit of the Ministry of Economic Development .... |
Life + 50 years (literary, dramatic, musical, or artistic work) | 50 years from creation (computer-generated work) | Yes |
 Nicaragua |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Niger |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Nigeria |
Life + 70 years (literary, musical or artistic works other than photographs) | 70 years from publication (literary, musical or non-photograph artistic works in the case of government or a body corporate) 50 years from publication (cinematograph films and photographs) 50 years from creation (sound recordings) 50 years from publication (broadcasts) |
Yes |
 Norway |
Life + 70 years | Yes | |
 Oman |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Pakistan |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Palau |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Panama |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Papua New Guinea |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Paraguay |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Peru |
Life + 70 years | ||
 PhilippinesPhilippine copyright law Philippine copyright law is enshrined in the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines, officially known as Republic Act No. 8293. The law is partly based on United States copyright law and the principles of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works... |
Life + 50 years | 50 years from publication (photographic works) | Yes |
 Poland |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Portugal |
Life + 70 years [Life + 50 years] |
||
 Qatar |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Kingdom of Romania |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Russia |
Life + 70 years Rehabilitation + 70 years (for repressed and rehabilitated) Life + 74 years (for those taking part or working during the war of 1941–1945) Life + 50 years (death before 1943) |
||
 Rwanda |
Berne, TRIPS | ||
| Life + 50 years | |||
| Life + 50 years | |||
| Life + 75 years (literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work) | 75 years from publication or if unpublished 50 years from creation (sound recording or film) 50 years from creation (computer-generated work) 50 years from creation (broadcast); 50 years after programme included in a cable programme service |
Yes | |
 Samoa |
Life + 75 years | ||
 San Marino |
unknown | ||
 São Tomé and Príncipe |
unknown | ||
 Saudi Arabia |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Senegal |
Berne, TRIPS | ||
 SerbiaSerbian copyright law Serbian copyright law is officially published as the copyright law of Serbia and Montenegro on 24 December 2004, and it remains in force after the country's split under Declaration of continuation by Republic of Serbia September 19, 2006... |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Seychelles |
Life + 25 years | 25 years from publication (photograph, film, or broadcast) 25 years from creation (sound recording) |
Yes |
 Singapore |
Life + 70 years (except posthumous work) | 70 years from publication (posthumous work, photograph) 70 years from publication (sound recordings and cinematograph films) 50 years after making (television broadcasts, sound broadcasts, cable programmes) 25 years from publication (published editions of works) |
Yes |
 Slovakia |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Slovenia |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Solomon Islands |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Somalia |
unknown | ||
 South AfricaSouth African copyright law The copyright law of South Africa governs copyright, the right to control the use and distribution of artistic and creative works, in the Republic of South Africa... |
Life + 50 years (literary or musical works or artistic works, other than photographs) | 50 years from publication or if unpublished 50 years from creation (cinematography films, photographs, computer programs) 50 years from publication (sound recordings; broadcasts; programme-carrying signals; and published editions) |
Yes |
 SpainSpanish copyright law Spanish copyright law governs copyright , that is the rightsof authors of literary, artistic or scientific works, in Spain. It wasfirst instituted by the Law of 10 January 1879, and, in its origins, was influenced by French copyright law... |
Life + 70 years [Life + 80 years(1879–1987), Life + 60 years(1987–1994)] |
||
 Sri Lanka |
Life + 50 years | 50 years from publication or if unpublished 50 years from completion (cinematographic, radiophonic or audiovisual work) 25 years from publication (photographic work or a work of applied art) |
Yes |
 Sudan |
Life + 50 years | 25 years from publication (photographic pictures and cinematographic films and other audiovisual works; works published under unknown pseudonym or anonymously) | |
 Suriname |
Berne, TRIPS | ||
 Swaziland |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Sweden |
Life + 70 years | Yes | |
 SwitzerlandCopyright law of Switzerland The copyright law of Switzerland is based on the concept of "author's rights" , which is similar to the French copyright law, instead of the concept of Copyright used incommon law jurisdictions... |
Life + 70 years effective 1 July 1993 non-retroactively, but Life + 50 years for computer programs [Life + 50 years (before the law change on 1 July 1993, applicable for deaths through 1942)] |
50 years after performance (performers' rights) | Yes |
 Syria |
Life + 50 years | 10 years from production (photographic, fine arts or plastic arts) | |
| Taiwan, Republic of China (Chinese Taipei) | Life + 50 years (except posthumous works first published 40 to 50 years after death) | 50 years from publication (anonymous or pseudonymous work) 50 years from publication; 50 years from creation if unpublished (corporate works; photographic works, audiovisual works, sound recordings, and performances) 10 years from publication (posthumous works first published 40 to 50 years after death) |
Yes |
 Tajikistan |
Berne | ||
 Tanzania |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Thailand |
Life + 50 years | 50 years from publication or 50 years from creation if not published within 50 years from creation | |
| Life + 50 years | |||
 Togo |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Tonga |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Trinidad and Tobago |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Tunisia |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Turkey |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Turkmenistan |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Tuvalu |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Uganda |
TRIPS | ||
 Ukraine |
Life + 70 years [Life + 50 years] |
||
 United Arab Emirates |
Life + 50 years | ||
 United KingdomCopyright law of the United Kingdom The modern concept of copyright originated in the United Kingdom, in the year 1710, with the Statute of Anne.The current copyright law of the United Kingdom is to be found in the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 , as amended... |
Life + 70 years | 70 years after release or if not released 70 years after making (sound recordings) | Yes |
 United States |
Life + 70 years (works published since 1978 or unpublished works) | 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation whichever is shorter (anonymous works, pseudonymous works, or works made for hire, published since 1978) 95 years from publication for works published 1964–1977; 28 (if copyright not renewed) or 95 years from publication for works published 1923–1963 (Copyrights prior to 1923 have expired.) |
Yes |
| Universal Copyright Convention Universal Copyright Convention The Universal Copyright Convention , adopted at Geneva in 1952, is one of the two principal international conventions protecting copyright; the other is the Berne Convention.... minimum terms |
Life + 25 years (general works) | 25 years from publication (specific works not based on authors' deaths) 10 years (photographic works or to works of applied art) |
|
 Uruguay |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Uzbekistan |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Vanuatu |
unknown | ||
 Vatican City |
Life + 70 years | ||
 Venezuela |
Life + 60 years | 60 years from publication; 60 years from creation if unpublished (an audiovisual work, a broadcast work or a computer program) 60 years from publication (anonymous or pseudonymous work) |
Yes |
 Vietnam |
Berne | ||
 Yemen |
Life + 30 years | ||
 Zambia |
Life + 50 years | ||
 Zimbabwe |
Life + 50 years | 50 years from publication (photographs) 50 years from creation (Sound recordings) 50 years from publication (cinematograph films, broadcasts) |
Yes |
Table notes
Terms of protection were taken from a variety of sources, including WIPO, UNESCOUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
and the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
(see External links). Where no more specific information is available for a country, an indication of its probable minimum copyright term can be gained from its status as:
- a signatory of the Berne ConventionBerne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic WorksThe Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, usually known as the Berne Convention, is an international agreement governing copyright, which was first accepted in Berne, Switzerland in 1886.- Content :...
("Berne"); minimum term of life + 50 years, except for photographs. - a member of the WTO ("TRIPS"); minimum term of life + 50 years.
- a candidate for membership of the European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
("EU"); term must be life + 70 years before accession.
See also
- Official text copyrightOfficial text copyrightOfficial texts, as defined in Article 2 of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, are texts of a legislative, administrative and legal nature and the official translations of such texts....
- Rule of the shorter termRule of the shorter termThe rule of the shorter term, also called the comparison of terms, is a provision in international copyright treaties. The provision allows that signatory countries can limit the duration of copyright they grant to foreign works under national treatment, to at most the copyright term granted in the...
- Moral rights
- CERLALCCerlalcThe Centro Regional para el Formento del Libro en América Latina y el Caribe is an intergovernmental organization established under the auspices of UNESCO. It promotes the development of book publishing and copyright issues in Latin America and the Caribbean.-External links:*...
, an intergovernmental organization promotes the development of book publishing and copyright issues in Latin America and the Caribbean.
External links
- Summary of copyright terms in various countries, with links to summaries or copies of national laws
- UNESCO Collection of National Copyright Laws with links to the official documentation for most listed countries
- The duration of copyright in various countries