Economy > Intellectual property > Copyright > Copyright duration relative to life of author: Countries Compared
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DEFINITION:
This stat compares the copyright duration of an original intellectual creation after its author's death. Although the definition is very variable, an original intellectual work can be described as the previously unpublished work of artistic or divulgative nature. As an almost universal rule, the copyright last for the entire life of the author or authors, plus a given number of years (typically 50 to 70). You can check this page for copyright terms concerning works published for the first time after the author's death, works published in non-printed form (like audiovisual creations) and other special cases. Once the copyright term expires, the work becomes public domain, and therefore can be freely used by anyone.
COUNTRY | DESCRIPTION |
---|---|
Afghanistan | Life 50 years |
Albania | Life 70 years |
Algeria | date=January 2011}}</ref> |
Andorra | Life 70 years |
Angola | Life 50 years |
Anguilla | Life 50 years |
Antigua and Barbuda | Life 50 years |
Argentina | Life 70 years |
Armenia | Life 70 years |
Aruba | Life 50 years |
Austria | Life 70 years |
Azerbaijan | Life 50 years (except posthumous work published at first time during 30 years) |
Bahrain | Life 50 calendar years (except posthumous work) |
Bangladesh | Life 50 years |
Barbados | Life 50 years |
Belarus | Life 50 years |
Belgium | Life 70 years |
Belize | Life 50 years |
Benin | Life 50 years |
Bermuda | Life 50 years |
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 |
Bulgaria | Life 70 years (EU) |
Burkina Faso | Life 70 years |
Burma | TRIPS |
Burundi | Life 50 years |
Cambodia | Life 50 years |
Cameroon | Life 50 years |
Canada | Life 50 years |
Cape Verde | Life 50 years |
Cayman Islands | unknown |
Central African Republic | Berne, TRIPS |
Chad | Berne, TRIPS |
Chile | Life 70 years |
Colombia | Life 80 years |
Comoros | Berne |
Congo, Republic of the | Berne, TRIPS |
Costa Rica | Life 70 years |
Croatia | Life 70 years |
Cuba | Life 50 years |
Cyprus | Life 50 years (EU, WCT) |
Czech Republic | Life 70 years |
Democratic Republic of the Congo | Berne, TRIPS |
Denmark | Life 70 years |
Djibouti | Life 25 years (Berne, TRIPS) |
Dominica | Life 70 years |
Dominican Republic | Life 50 years |
East Timor | Life 50 years |
Ecuador | Life 70 years |
Egypt | Life 50 years |
El Salvador | Life 50 years |
Equatorial Guinea | Berne |
Eritrea | the latter of Life 0 years or 50 years since publication |
Estonia | Life 70 years (EU) |
Ethiopia | Life 50 years |
Federated States of Micronesia | Life 50 years |
Fiji | url= http://portal.unesco.org/culture/admin/file_download.php/fj_copyright_1999_en.pdf?URL_ID=30383&filename=11424205153fj_copyright_1999_en.pdf&filetype=application/pdf&filesize=572007&name=fj_copyright_1999_en.pdf&location=user-S/ |title=Copyright Act 1999 |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref> |
Finland | Life 70 years |
France | Life 70 years (except posthumous works published after this term) |
Gabon | Berne, TRIPS, WCT |
Gambia | Life 50 years |
Georgia | Life 70 years |
Germany | Life 70 years |
Ghana | Life 70 years |
Greece | Life 70 years |
Grenada | Berne, TRIPS |
Guatemala | Life 75 years |
Guinea | TRIPS, WCT |
Guinea-Bissau | Berne, TRIPS |
Guyana | Life 50 years |
Haiti | Berne, TRIPS |
Holy See (Vatican City) | url= http://portal.unesco.org/culture/admin/file_download.php/va_copyright_1960_it.pdf?URL_ID=30483&filename=11430217273va_copyright_1960_it.pdf&filetype=application/pdf&filesize=85982&name=va_copyright_1960_it.pdf&location=user-S/ |title=N. XII. Legge sil diritto di autore |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref> |
Honduras | Life 75 years |
Hong Kong | url= http://www.legislation.gov.hk/blis_ind.nsf/e1bf50c09a33d3dc482564840019d2f4/8c9a7f494889b108482564dc002d834b?OpenDocument |title=s. 17(2), Copyright Ordinance (Cap. 528) |publisher=Legislation.gov.hk |date=1997-06-30 |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref> Life 50 years (films) |
Hungary | date=December 2011}}</ref> |
Iceland | Life 70 years |
India | Life 60 years (except posthumous works) |
Indonesia | Life 50 years |
Iran | Life 50 years |
Iraq | Life 50 years |
Ireland | Life 70 years |
Israel | Life 70 years |
Italy | Life 70 years [Life 50 years] |
Jamaica | Life 50 years |
Japan | Life 50 years |
Jordan | Life 50 years |
Kazakhstan | Life 50 years |
Kenya | Life 50 years (literary, musical or artistic work other than photographs) |
Kiribati | Life 50 years |
Kuwait | Decree Law No. 64 of 1999 concerning Intellectual Property Rights</ref> |
Kyrgyzstan | Life 50 years |
Laos | Life 50 years. |
Latvia | Life 70 years [Life 50 years] |
Lebanon | Life 50 years |
Lesotho | Life 50 years |
Liberia | unknown |
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 | Life 50 years |
Madagascar | Life 70 years |
Malawi | Life 50 years |
Malaysia | 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. |
Mauritania | Berne, TRIPS |
Mauritius | Life 50 years |
Mexico | Life 100 years (effective 23 July 2003 non-retroactively) |
Moldova | Life 50 years |
Monaco | Life 50 years |
Mongolia | Life 50 years |
Montenegro | Life 70 years |
Morocco | Life 50 years |
Mozambique | Life 70 years |
Namibia | Life 50 years (except posthumous works) |
Nauru | unknown |
Nepal | Life 50 years |
Netherlands | Life 70 years |
New Zealand | Life 50 years (literary, dramatic, musical, or artistic work) |
Nicaragua | Life 70 years |
Niger | Life 50 years |
Nigeria | Life 70 years (literary, musical or artistic works other than photographs) |
Norway | Life 70 years |
Oman | title=Articles 26 of The Law For The Protection of Copyright and Neighbouring Rights|url= http://www.mocioman.gov.om/Main-Menu/Laws-and-Regulations/Laws/copy-right-law.aspx|work=Royal Decree 65/2008|publisher=Ministry of Commerce and Industry|accessdate=23 August 2012}}</ref> |
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 |
Philippines | Life 50 years |
Poland | Life 70 years |
Portugal | Life 70 years [Life 50 years] |
Qatar | Life 50 years |
Republic of Macedonia | Life 70 years |
Romania | Life 70 years |
Russia | url= http://www.consultant.ru/popular/gkrf4/ |title=Article 1281 of Civil Code |publisher=Consultant.ru |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref> 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 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | Life 50 years |
Saint Lucia | Life 50 years |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | url= http://portal.unesco.org/culture/admin/file_download.php/vc_copyright_2003_en.PDF?URL_ID=30444&filename=11425886943vc_copyright_2003_en.PDF&filetype=application/pdf&filesize=333544&name=vc_copyright_2003_en.PDF&location=user-S/ |title=Copyright Act, 2003 |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref> |
Samoa | author=WIPO |url= http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/text.jsp?file_id=179610 |title=Copyright Act 1998 |publisher=Wipo.int |date=2012-04-02 |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref> |
San Marino | Life 50 years |
Saudi Arabia | url= http://www.sagia.gov.sa/Documents/Laws/Copyright Law_En.pdf |title=Royal Decree No: M/41 2nd Rajab 1424 H August 30, 2003 |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref> |
Senegal | url= http://www.bsda.sn/Loi_2008_09 sur le droit d'auteur.pdf|title=Loi 2008-09 du 25-01-2008 sur le droit d'auteur et les droits voisins|format=PDF|accessdate=2012-08-26}}</ref> |
Serbia | Life 70 years |
Seychelles | Life 25 years |
Sierra Leone | Life 50 years |
Singapore | Life 70 years (except posthumous work) |
Slovakia | Life 70 years |
Slovenia | Life 70 years |
Solomon Islands | Life 50 years |
Somalia | unknown |
South Africa | Life 50 years (literary or musical works or artistic works, other than photographs) |
South Korea | Life 70 years |
Spain | Life 70 years [Life 80 years(1879–1987), Life 60 years(1987–1994)] |
Sri Lanka | Life 70 years |
Sudan | Life 50 years |
Suriname | Berne, TRIPS |
Swaziland | Life 50 years |
Sweden | Life 70 years |
Switzerland | Life 70 years effective 1 July 1993 non-retroactively, but Life 50 years for computer programs |
Syria | Life 50 years |
Taiwan | Life 50 years (except posthumous works first published 40 to 50 years after death) |
Tajikistan | Berne |
Tanzania | Life 50 years |
Thailand | Life 50 years |
The Bahamas | Berne |
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 25 years (1963—1994), Life 50 years (1994—2001)] |
United Arab Emirates | Life 50 years |
United Kingdom | Life 70 years If the author is unknown, 70 years If there are multiple authors, life of last surviving author 70 years |
United States | 17|302}}(a)</ref> |
Uruguay | Life 50 years |
Uzbekistan | Life 50 years |
Vanuatu | unknown |
Venezuela | Life 60 years |
Vietnam | Berne |
Yemen | Life 30 years |
Zambia | Life 50 years |
Zimbabwe | Life 50 years |