summary
According to the Law of the Protection of Copyright and
Related Rights (issued by Legislative Decree No. 62/2013), article (2) which
grants copyright protection.
Syria is a member of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and
Artistic Works under copyright.
Under Legislative
Decree No. 62/2013,
- The
financial rights of the author are protected throughout his life and for
50 years after the end of the year of his death, unless provided
otherwise.[62/2013 Art. 19]
- The
financial rights of authors of joint works are protected for the rest of
their lives and for 50 years after the end of the year of death of the
last surviving person unless the law provides otherwise.[62/2013 Art. 20]
- Audiovisual
works and collective works are protected for 50 years from the first
calendar year following their publication for the first time.[62/2013 Art. 21(a)] In case of
non-publication within 50 years from the date of completion of the work,
the period is calculated from the first calendar year following the date
of the completion of the work.[62/2013 Art.
21(b)]
- Works
published without mentioning the name of the author or a pseudonym are
protected for 50 years from the date of their publication for the first
time, unless the identity of the author becomes known in this period.[62/2013 Art. 22]
- Works
of applied arts are protected for 25 years from the first calendar year
following the year in which the work was completed.[62/2013 Art. 23]
- Database
works are protected for a period of 15 years from the first calendar year
following the year in which the work was completed.[62/2013 Art. 23B]
In order
to be hosted on Commons, all works must be in the public domain in the United States as well as in their source
country. Syrian works are currently in the public domain in the United States
if their copyright had expired in Syria on the URAA date of restoration (June 11, 2004) and the work was published before this date.[5]
Works not protected
Under Legislative
Decree No. 62/2013, there is no protection for[62/2013
Art. 4]:
- Ideas,
procedures, methods of work, mathematical concepts, principles, abstract
facts, discoveries and data, but protection applies to the innovative
expression of any of them.
- Heavenly
books except their designs and style of writing and recordings of
recitations.
- Laws,
regulations, judicial decisions, arbitral tribunal rules, international
agreements, administrative decisions and other official documents and
official translations thereof.
- News
and other events that are characterized as mere press information.