Copyright policy by country

Copyright encourages the further development of art, culture and research. Copyright law, however, can vary from country to country, which can make copyright difficult to navigate.

Click on a flag below to learn more about that country’s copyright policy.

United States of America

Free Information Sessions Covering U.S. Copyright Law

Copyright law in the United States affects content creators and those who use copyrighted material for business, education and more. For help navigating the complexities of copyright in the United States, join us for any of our educational programming. Attend a webinar, watch one of our award-winning videos, or sign up for a certificate course.

Germany

Germany is one of more than 160 signatory countries of international copyright treaties: the Berne Convention and the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) Copyright Treaty, among other WIPO-administered treaties. The country is also a member state of WIPO.

Collective Licensing of Literature in Germany

VG WORT is the local collective licensing organization in Germany. The organization operates under the supervision of the German Patent and Trademark Office. VG WORT has developed a license, with the assistance of Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), to simplify copyright compliance by providing employees of German companies and their subsidiaries worldwide with the rights to share content responsibly around the world from millions of German and international information sources. RightsDirect, a CCC subsidiary, is a sales partner in Germany for VG WORT.

Learn more about the VG WORT Digital Copyright License.

Argentina

Legislation

Argentina is one of more than 160 signatories of international copyright treaties: the Berne Convention and the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) Copyright Treaty, among other WIPO-administered treaties. The country is also a member state of WIPO.

Argentina passed local copyright legislation, National Law 11.723, in 1933, with the most recent amendment in 2009.

Copyright Office of Argentina

The Dirección Nacional del Derecho de Autor (DNDA) is the governmental body in charge of copyright in Argentina. A part of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, the DNDA manages a registry of Argentine authors and their works.

Collective Licensing of Literature in Argentina

Centro de Administración de Derechos Reprográficos. Asociación Civil – República Argentina (CADRA) is the local collective licensing organization in Argentina. CADRA is an association of authors and publishers of books and other types of publications that provide academic institutions, corporations, government agencies, libraries and commercial copy shops with licenses to use and share works in its repertory. CADRA is member of the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organizations.

CADRA has participated in Copyright Clearance Center’s International Advancement Program (IAP), which promotes collective licensing around the world

Switzerland

The copyright law of Switzerland is the Swiss Federal Copyright Act of 1992. Switzerland is one of more than 160 signatories of international copyright treaties. The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property administers copyright and collective licensing in Switzerland.

Get information about collective licensing in Switzerland.

Canada

Canada is one of more than 160 signatories to major international treaties and is a member state of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Copyrights are registered through the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.

There are two reproduction rights organizations in Canada: Access Copyright in English-speaking Canada and COPIBEC in Quebec. Both organizations are members of the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisation (IFRRO) and offer a full set of licensing services for both business and academia.

Learn more about Canadian copyright law in English and in French.

Denmark

Denmark is one of more than 160 signatories to all major international treaties and is a member state of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

COPYDAN is the national collecting society for text-based and other works in Denmark. COPYDAN is a member of the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organizations (IFRRO) and represents thousands of rightsholders and rightsholder organizations in the efficient administration of copyright rights.

Japan

Copyright and Licensing in Japan

Japan has been a member country of the Berne Convention since 1899, when it adopted its first modern copyright act. Japan is also a member state of the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization).

Japan enacted its current Copyright Act in 1970 and has amended it many times since in order to keep up with developments in technology and global expectations for the protection of intellectual property.

Copyright Office of Japan

Japan’s Copyright Office is responsible for administration of the country’s copyright affairs and coordinates the work of the copyright subdivision of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, an affiliate of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The Agency for Cultural Affairs conducts research on copyright topics and manages supervision of collective management organizations, among other things. It also administers several copyright registers, where authors record their real names (in connection with pseudonymous works) and authors, publishers and others can record their interests in copyrighted works.

Collective Licensing in Japan

The Japan Academic Association for Copyright Clearance (JAC), the Japan Reproduction Rights Center (JRRC), and the Japan Publishers Copyright Association (JCOPY) are the primary collective management organizations for text-based materials.

Korea

Copyright in The Republic of Korea

The Republic of Korea (South Korea) enacted its current Copyright Act in 1986, as the country began its extremely rapid economic development, and has amended it regularly since, most recently as part of its obligations to carry out Free Trade Agreements entered into with the European Union and the United States. In the late 1990s, Korea joined the TRIPs Agreement, updating its membership in the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) and then the Berne Convention.

Government responsibility for copyright in the Republic of Korea is lodged in the Copyright Commission of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Although, under the Berne Convention, no formalities are required for copyright protection, registration of copyrights in Korea (at the Copyright Commission) provides certain presumptions in the event of copyright litigation.

Collective Licensing in The Republic of Korea

The Korea Reproduction and Transmission Rights Association (KORRA) serves as the principal collective management organization for text-based materials.

Poland

Copyright and Licensing in Poland

Poland is a signatory of major international copyright treaties, including the Berne Convention. It is also a member state of the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization).

Known for having one of the most modern copyright laws in the world early in the 20th century, Poland has regularly updated its copyright law. The current statute was enacted in 1994, about the time that Poland became a full Member State of the European Union, and the copyright law has been regularly updated to ensure harmonization with the various Directives of the EU. Copyright administration is under the authority of Poland’s Intellectual Property and Media Department Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Legal Office.

Polska Ksiazka, the Polish Association of Authors and Publishers, is the collective management organization designated by the Ministry for administration of rights in books and other text-based materials.

Jamaica

The current Jamaican Copyright Act was enacted in 1993, in the same year that the country acceded to the Berne Convention. Jamaica has been a member state of the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) since 1978.

Jamaica seeks to lead Caribbean countries on copyright matters, and the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) is the government agency responsible for both national and regional activities.

Collective Licensing in Jamaica

The Jamaican Copyright Licensing Agency (JAMCOPY) has been designated by the Government of Jamaica as the sole national licensing body for the reproduction for copyright protected materials published in the print media.