Library Resources and Services: Copyright

Legislation:

The legal field of intellectual property is regulated by laws, legal acts and international agreements of Armenia, which are periodically reviewed, amended and changed since 1993:

The Law of the Republic of Armenia on Copyright and Related Rights adopted by the National Assembly of RA in 2006, June 15..

• Civil Code, section 10

• Criminal Code, extract

• Customs Code, section 14

• Law of RA on Protection of Economic Competition

• Law on Copyright and Related rights

• Law on Patents

• Law on Protection of Topographies of Integrated Circuits

• Law on Trade Names

• Law on Trademarks, Service Marks and Appellations of Origin

International Treaties and Conventions:

The Republic of Armenia is a member of:

• Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works since October19, 2000

• World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) since 1993

• World Trade Organization (WTO) -since 2003

• Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) since 2003

• Brussels Convention Relating to the Distribution of Programme-Carrying Signals Transmitted by Satellite-since 1993

• Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property -since December 25, 1991

• WIPO Copyright Treaty -since March 6, 2005

• WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty - since March 6, 2005

• Convention for the Protection of Producers of Phonograms Against Unauthorized Duplication of Their Phonograms-since January 31, 2003

• Rome Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organizations - since January 31, 2003

• Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks - since October 19, 2000

• Patent Law Treaty - since September 17, 2013

Copyright Resources:

Materials developed by EIFL-IP

EIFL Handbook on Copyright and Related Issues - is a practical guide to topical legal questions affecting the information work of libraries in the fast moving digital environment. Complete handbook available in: Arabic |Armenian | English | French | Moldovan | Polish | Russian

Treaty proposal on limitations and exceptions for libraries and archives by EIFL, IFLA, ICA and Innovarte(TLIB)

EIFL-IP Draft Law on Copyright Including Model Exceptions and Limitations for Libraries and Consumers - is a practical guide to assist librarians, as well as their legal advisors and policy makers, when national laws are being updated.

Developing a Library Copyright Policy. An EIFL Guide is a guide intended to highlight issues when considering the creation of a copyright policy for your library, how to go about drafting a policy and the elements that a library copyright policy might contain. Complete text avaialabel in  Armenian | English

Statement of Principles on Copyright Exceptions and Limitations for Libraries and Archives (2009) by Electronic Information for Libraries, IFLA, and Library Copyright Alliance Complete text available in Armenian

"Copyright for Librarians" (CFL) is an online open curriculum on copyright law that was developed jointly with Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society.

Armenian Copyright Agencies/Organizations: 

Why the concern about copyright?

By law, we are obliged to comply with theArmenian Law on Copyright and Related Rights adopted in 2006.

• The University policy ensures that we respect the rights of the authors and publishers, and advocate for balance between the rights of copyright owners and users of copyright materials.

• Copyright infringement could result in legal action and possible awards of damages.

• The viability of local publishers depends on compliance with the copyright law. 

Without prior permission you may not:

• Copy a whole book or journal issue/volume, or large portions thereof (This includes out of print works).

• Make multiple copies for others (unless the material is in the public domain, i.e. the copyright term has expired) or copying is specifically permitted;

• Create or replace or substitute anthologies, compilations or collective works;

• Scan, digitize, adapt, translate or modify other people’s works;

• Make copies of images, videos, films, CDs DVDs or multimedia for purposes other than fair dealing;

• Download or cut and paste large sections, or use lengthy quotations from others’ works;

• Include others’ copyrighted works in electronic theses/dissertations, in a publication or on a website.

Are there exceptions for educational purposes?

Yes, there are. Without the consent of the author and without remuneration but with obligatory mention of the author’s name and the source of the work (e.g. proper citation), and without profit making the following shall be permitted:

• The reproduction of a lawfully published work by the libraries and archives, educational and cultural institutions for the purpose of restoring and substituting the lost or damaged copies (in one copy);

• The reproduction (in one copy) of independent articles, succinct works lawfully published in collections, newspapers and other periodical publications, and of short extracts from lawfully published written works by the libraries and archives (on the demand of natural persons) for the study and research purposes, as well as by the educational institutions for the classroom studies, except computer programs;

• The reproduction (in one copy) of the whole book if such work is out of print not less than 2 years