The Copyright Protection Law No. 22 for the year 1992 governs the protection of copyright in Jordan. Jordan is party to the Berne Convention as of July 1999.

Protection covers original works of literature, art and science no matter what their type, importance or purpose. This includes the works of art expressed in writing, sound, drawing, photography and motion, such as books, speeches, plays, musical compositions, films, applied art, 3-D works and computer software.

For Jordanians, in order to gain protection the publishers of copyrightable works will have to deposit three copies of the work with the National Library at the Ministry of Culture. The duration of protection is for the lifetime of the author plus 30 years following his/her death.

The Ministry of Culture reserves the right to allow publication of the work of art if the copyright holder has not done so or if his/her heirs do not publish it within six months of being informed to do so in writing. In this case, the Ministry of Culture will provide the copyright holder or the heirs with fair compensation.

Infringements are prosecuted before the Civil Court of Jordan and infringers will be penalized by a fine or imprisonment.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property Bulletins

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