Copyright

Due to the the amendments introduced by the Federal law in 2002, the Russian protection system of copyright today fully complies with the international standards in this area of IP. 


What can be protected by copyright:
Copyright extends to all scientific, literary and artistic works, which are the product of creative work. This protection is regardless of the purpose, the merit and the expression’s manner of this creative work.

This following non-exhaustive list illustrates which kind of work can be protected by copyright:

  • literary works (including computer programs); 
  • dramatic works and other works with a scenario; 
  • choreographic and mimed works; 
  • musical works with or without accompanying text; 
  • audiovisual works; 
  • works of painting and sculpture, graphic and design works, cartoon strips and other works of figurative art; 
  • works of applied art and stage design; 
  • works of architecture; 
  • photographic works; 
  • geographical, geological and other maps, topography and other sciences 
Ideas, methods, processes, systems, means, concepts, principles, discoveries and facts shall not be covered by copyright.

How to obtain copyright protection:

It is important to underline that this protection is automatic and doesn’t need either proceeding of registration or payment of fees, as it is used for patent or trademark.

In order to have his rights recognized, the owner has to use a copyright notice which should be placed on every copy of the work and should consist of the following three elements:

  1. a circled Latin letter C: ©; 
  2. the name (the title) of the owner of the exclusive copyright; 
  3. the year of first appearance of the work. 

In the absence of proof to the contrary, the person named as the author on the original or on a copy of the work shall be deemed the author thereof.
What are the rights of copyright’s owner:

The author has two kinds of rights, some of them are personal and non-economic rights: non-proprietary rights (of authorship, to be named, to the protection of his reputation).

The others rights, called proprietary rights are not automatic and personal as well as the previous rights, for example they can be let by the author to his employer in accordance to his job contract. According to these rights their owner, for example the author, can enjoy the exclusive right to exploit he works in any form and by any means. These economic rights include the rights of reproduction, of distribution, of importation, of public representation, of public performance, of broadcasting, of translation.


How long a work is protected by the copyright:

Before to fall in the public domain the work is protected all the life long of its author plus 70 years after his death. 


Our services:

Our Attorneys can help you in your strategy of protection your copyrighted works against counterfeit infringement, prosecution for recovery of property, drafting various agreements (license, distributor, selling etc.).


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