Copyrights Law in DR Congo
Here’s an overview of copyright law in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo):
Copyright Law in DR Congo
📜 Legal Framework
The main copyright law is Law No. 88-027 of 1988 on the Protection of Literary and Artistic Property.
The law is administered by the Ministry of Culture and Arts.
DR Congo is a member of several international treaties:
Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) treaties
Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)
🔍 Protected Works
Literary works (books, articles, manuscripts)
Musical compositions and lyrics
Audiovisual works (films, videos)
Artistic works (paintings, sculptures)
Dramatic and choreographic works
Computer programs (software)
Photographic works
Rights Granted
Economic Rights: Right to reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, broadcast, and translate works.
Moral Rights: Right of attribution and to protect the integrity of the work.
Duration of Protection
For authors: life of the author plus 50 years after death.
For works of joint authorship, the term expires 50 years after the death of the last surviving author.
For anonymous or pseudonymous works: 50 years from publication.
For audiovisual works: 50 years from publication.
Registration
Copyright protection is automatic upon creation.
Optional registration can be made for evidence purposes but is not mandatory.
Enforcement and Remedies
The law provides for civil and criminal remedies against infringement.
Penalties may include fines, imprisonment, and destruction of infringing copies.
Enforcement is through the judicial system.
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