Copyright law of Zambia

From Chalo Chatu, Zambia online encyclopedia

The Copyright law of Zambia is a firmly established by the Copyright and Performance Rights Act , Chapter 406 of the Laws of Zambia another closely related act is the Registered Designs Act, Cap 402. The Act tries to encourage the creation of art and culture by rewarding authors and artists with a set of exclusive rights. The concept of copyright ownership of architectural designs is very clear in itself but not clearly defined in the law. These exclusive rights are subject to a time limit, and generally expire 50 years after the author's death. The Zambian copyright law is governed by the Copyright Act of 1994.

History

Works subject to copyright law

The Zambian copyright law protects "original works of authorship," fixed in a tangible medium including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works. Copyright law includes the following types of works:

  • Literary
  • Musical
  • Dramatic
  • Pantomimes and choreographic works
  • Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works
  • Audio-visual works
  • Sound recordings
  • Derivative works
  • Compilations
  • Architectural works

Duration of copyright

Copyright protection generally lasts for a period of fifty years from the end of the calendar year in which the author dies. If the work is of unknown authorship, the copyright in the work shall expire at the end of the period of fifty years from the end of the calendar year in which the work is first published, unless the identity of the author of the work becomes known before that date.

Infringement

Copyright infringement occurs when someone violates one of the exclusive rights listed in Commonly, this involves someone creating or distributing a "copy" of a protected work that is "substantially similar" to the original version. Infringement requires copying. If two people happen to write exactly the same story, without knowledge of the other, there is no infringement.

Public domain

Works in the public domain are free for anyone to copy and use. Strictly speaking, the term "public domain" means that the work is not covered by any intellectual property rights at all (copyright, trademark, patent, or otherwise).[1] However, this article discusses public domain with respect to copyright only.

A work may enter the public domain in a number of different ways. For example, (a) the copyright protecting the work may have expired, or (b) the owner may have explicitly donated the work to the public, or (c) the work is not the type of work that copyright can protect.

References

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Further reading

External links