Copyrights Law in Belgium
Here’s an overview of copyright law in Belgium:
Copyright Law in Belgium
📜 Legal Framework
Main Law: Belgian Copyright Act of 30 June 1994 (and subsequent amendments).
Administered by the Belgian Intellectual Property Office (OPRI).
Belgium is a party to key international treaties including:
Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works
WIPO Copyright Treaty
Rome Convention
TRIPS Agreement
🔍 Protected Works
Literary works (books, articles, software)
Musical compositions and lyrics
Audiovisual works (films, TV shows)
Artistic works (paintings, sculptures, photographs)
Dramatic and choreographic works
Architectural works
Databases
Rights Granted
Economic Rights: Exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, perform, communicate, and adapt works.
Moral Rights: Right to claim authorship and to object to derogatory treatment of the work.
Duration of Protection
For authors: life of the author plus 70 years after death.
For anonymous or pseudonymous works: 70 years from publication.
Neighboring rights (performers, producers, broadcasters): generally 50 years.
Registration
Copyright protection is automatic upon creation.
Belgium does not require or offer formal copyright registration.
Proof of authorship can be established through other evidence (e.g., dated drafts, trusted timestamping).
Enforcement and Remedies
Infringement can result in civil and criminal sanctions.
Remedies include injunctions, damages, fines, and confiscation or destruction of infringing copies.
Enforcement is conducted through Belgian courts.
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