Copyright is a set of rights relating to the creators of literary and artistic works. A detailed definition of literary and artistic works can be found in Article 2 of the Berne Convention.
Copyright essentially comprises two rights, namely:
Economic rights – the creator of literary or artistic work can reimburse a retribution given the use of his work by third parties (often this payment takes the form of royalties);
Moral rights – the author can claim the authorship of his work or oppose measures taken by others that may jeopardize the reputation / credibility of his work.
The author of literary and artistic work may prohibit as well as authorize third parties to use their work for reproductions, public performances, recordings, broadcasts, translation / adaptation. Some examples of literary and artistic work include (but are not confined to): music, books, advertising slogans, software, architectural drawings, etc. According to the Berne Convention, the minimum duration granted to the right holder must be 50 years from the date of death of the author. The exact date of death of the owner is not necessary, but only the year. However, in practical terms, in the European Union the duration granted to the right holder is 70 years from the date of death of the author.
It is important to note that copyright only protects the expression of the idea and not the idea itself. It should be noted that although Copyright should not be confused with Related Rights – consisting of a set of rights relating to outstanding artists (e.g. actors) during their performances; Producers of sound recordings; Organizations for the broadcasting of radio-television signals. Although similar in various aspects of Copyright, as a rule, Related Rights are more limited and of shorter duration.
