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Agenda

Part A: BASICS OF COPYRIGHT

Part B: COPYRIGHT AND RELATED RIGHTS

Part C: OWNERSHIP OF COPYRIGHT

Part D: USING WORKS OWNED BY OTHERS

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PART A: BASICS OF COPYRIGHT

Definition of copyright
Requirements for copyright protection

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�PART A: BASICS OF COPYRIGHT�

Definition of Copyright

Copyright law grants authors, composers, software writers, website designers, and other creators’ legal protection for their literary and artistic creation, referred to as “works”
Copyright protects a wide variety of original and/or creative expressions, such as novels, poetry, music, paintings, photographs, sculptures, architecture, films, computer programs, video games, original databases, etc.
The rights granted enables the copyright owner, within a specified period of time:

to control the use of his work in a number of ways
to receive remuneration

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�PART A: BASICS OF COPYRIGHT�

Requirements for Copyright Protection

To qualify for copyright protection, a work must be original
Originality relates to the expression of thought and not to the underlying idea or thought
Essentially, originality refers to the fact that the work was independently created and it was not copied from somewhere else
Works enjoy copyright protection irrespective of their creative elements, quality or value and do not need to have any literary or artistic merit
Needs to be fixed in material form

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�PART A: BASICS OF COPYRIGHT�

Most important international treaty on copyright is the Berne treaty for the protection of literary and artistic works
If you are a national or a resident of a country party to the Berne Convention, your work will automatically enjoy the level of protection granted in the Berne Convention in all countries that are party to the Convention
However, as copyright protection remains territorial, your copyright work has to satisfy the requirements of the copyright law where you seek protection
How many signatories are there to the Berne Convention?

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�PART A: BASICS OF COPYRIGHT�

There is no formal procedure to put the notice on your work, however it is strongly advisable to remind people that the work is copyrighted and identifies the copyright owner
Assists those who may want to obtain your prior permission
A cheap and cost-effective safeguard
A copyright notice general consists of:

The word “copyright” or the copyright symbol “©”;
The name of the copyright owner;
The year in which the work was first published; and
The words “All Rights Reserved”

Example: © Deepak Pillai 2006 – 2011. All rights reserved

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PART B: COPYRIGHT & RELATED RIGHTS

Scope of copyright protection
Basics of related rights
Period of protection

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Books And Other Written Materials

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Television, Movies & Games

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�PART B: COPYRIGHT & RELATED RIGHTS�

Scope of Copyright Protection

Works Protected by Copyright

Literary works (books, written speeches, magazines, newsletters, trade journals, training materials, technical papers, instruction manuals, catalogues);
Musical works (songs, operas and musicals);
Dramatic works (dance, plays, mime);
Artistic works (cartoons, paintings, sculptures, architectural works, blueprints, computer and laser artwork);
Photographic works (such as photos, engravings);
Computer programs, software, and original databases;
Maps, globes, charts, diagrams and technical drawings;

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�PART B: COPYRIGHT & RELATED RIGHTS�

Scope of Copyright Protection

Works Protected by Copyright (Continued)

Advertisements, commercial prints and labels;
Motion pictures (films, documentaries, television advertisements);
Multimedia products (work combined text with usual images, sound and computer programs, such as video games); and
Works of applied art (artistic jewellery, wallpaper, carpets.)

Note:

Works are protected irrespective whether they are made available on computer diskettes, hard drives, CD-ROMs, VCDs, DVDs, or whether they are transmitted by radio stations, television stations or downloaded via the Internet

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�PART B: COPYRIGHT & RELATED RIGHTS�

Scope of Copyright Protection - The things copyright does not protect

Ideas

Copyright law only protects the way ideas are expressed in a particular creation
Copyright does not protect the underlying idea, procedure, method of operation, mathematical concept or system
Ideas protected under patent law or as trade secrets

Facts

Copyright does not protect facts – whether scientific, historical, biographical or news of the day
Only the manner in which such facts are expressed, selected or arranged are protected
Others are free to use the facts as long as they do not copy the manner in which the facts are expressed

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�PART B: COPYRIGHT & RELATED RIGHTS�

Scope of Copyright Protection - The things copyright does not protect

Useful articles

Copyright protection may not available for articles registered or protectable under industrial design law
Usually the design of a useful article may be protected as an industrial design while copyright protection may apply to the pictorial, graphic or sculptural features on the object

Names, titles, slogans and other short phrases

Generally not protected under copyright other than for logos

Official government works

Official texts of the Government or statutory bodies of a legislative or regulatory nature, or judicial decisions
Note that this exclusion does not extend to works made by or under the direction or control of the Government or its Government organizations

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�PART B: COPYRIGHT & RELATED RIGHTS�

Scope of Copyright Protection - Economic Rights

Economic rights protect the author’s economic interests and allow the author to earn a profit by direct or indirect exploitation of a work

Scope of these rights and limitations and exceptions, differ on the type of work and from country to country

Generally it includes the exclusive rights to:

Make reproductions or copies of the work in various forms
Distribute the work to the public
Rent or lend copies of the work
Make translations or adaptations of the work
Communicate the work to the public
Perform, show or play the work in public

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�PART B: COPYRIGHT & RELATED RIGHTS�

Scope of Copyright Protection - Moral Rights

Most countries recognize moral rights, albeit the scope may vary from country to country
Generally, all countries recognize two types of moral rights:

The right to be named as the author of the work (‘authorship right” or “paternity right”)
The right to protect the integrity of the work e.g. it prohibits any changes, modifications or alterations to a work that would damage the author’s honour or reputation

Moral rights cannot be transferred to someone else
Moral rights may be waived by the author in some countries by way of a written agreement, for a specified period of time.

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�PART B: COPYRIGHT & RELATED RIGHTS��

Copyright and related rights complement each other by protecting different people’s involvement in a particular work
While copyright protects the author, related rights are rights granted to others who are involved in making the work public
For example, in the case of a song, whilst copyright protects the composer’s music and songwriter’s lyrics, related rights would protect:

singers and musicians who perform the song;
producer(s) have made a sound recording of the song; and
broadcasters that produced the broadcast program (Radio, TV & Web) in which the song was broadcast

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�PART B: COPYRIGHT & RELATED RIGHTS��

Definition of Related Rights

There are three kinds of “related rights” or “neighbouring rights”:

rights of performers (actors, musicians, singers, dancers or generally people who perform) in their performances;

rights of producers of sound recordings in their recordings (cassette recordings, compact discs, etc.); and

rights of broadcasting organizations in their radio and television programs and in internet broadcasts such as ‘podcasts’

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��PART B: COPYRIGHT & RELATED RIGHTS��

What are the rights that they have?

Performers

You need to obtain the consent of the performer prior to recording, broadcasting or delivering a live performance by cable as well as reproducing recordings

Producers of sound recordings

They have a legal right in their recordings and have the right to take action against unauthorized copying, use or distribution

Broadcasters

They enjoy the right to control the rebroadcasting, fixation (recording) and reproduction of their broadcasts

The protection offered by related rights is independent of any copyright protection that may exist in the works being performed, recorded or broadcast

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��PART B: COPYRIGHT & RELATED RIGHTS��

Period of Protection

A work is automatically protected as soon as it exists, without any special registration, deposit, payment of fee or any other formal or administrative requirement

There are variations, e.g. USA

For most countries, protection of the economic rights lasts for the lifetime of the author plus an additional period of at least 50 years (in the US and Europe, 70 years after death)

Not only the author benefits, but his or her heirs too

If several authors are involved (work of joint authorship) then the term of protection is calculated from the death of the last surviving author
Generally in Malaysia, copyright & related rights last for a period of 50 years after the first performance, date of publishing, recording (sound), or broadcast

i.e. there does not seem to be much of a distinction

Upon expiry of copyright, work will be in the public domain

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��PART B: COPYRIGHT & RELATED RIGHTS��

Rationale of Copyright Protection

Term of protection for copyright is relatively long in comparison with other IP
The intention is to allow creators of original work sufficient time to receive due compensation for their intellectual efforts
Rationale behind copyright is to promote the progress of science and arts by encouraging the creation of new works by

guaranteeing some exclusivity for a limited time
following which the works will return to the public domain for others to benefit from them e.g. for other to incorporate old ideas with the new

Protection has evolved over the past three centuries, i.e. from 1709, and will continue to do so.

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PART C: OWNERSHIP OF COPYRIGHT

Meaning of ownership of copyright
In case of commissioned works
In case of works created by an employee
In case of works created by several authors

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Meaning of Ownership of Copyright

Terms “authorship” and “ownership” are often confused
“Author” refers to the person who created the work as opposed to someone who contributed the idea of the work
The “owner” of the copyright in a work is the person who has the exclusive rights to exploit the work e.g. to use, copy, sell and make derivative works.
Generally, copyright in a work initially belongs to the person who actually created it i.e. the author, which will then be automatically transferred to the owner in the following scenarios:

if the work was created by an employee as part of his job
if the work was commissioned or specially ordered

PART C: OWNERSHIP OF COPYRIGHT�

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Who owns the copyright in commissioned works?

In most other countries, the creator owns the copyright in the commissioned work, while the person who commissioned it merely has a license to use

Need to be carful when going abroad

Good idea to address copyright ownership issues in an agreement prior to commissioning the external services

PART C: OWNERSHIP OF COPYRIGHT�

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Entering into a Copyright and License / Assignment Agreements

Before entering into a relationship involving the creation of a work, ensure that you are clear on

What rights you own in the work under the law, e.g. what are you contributing to the work
Whether you need to own the copyright in the work
Whether a license to the work would be more appropriate

Points to consider include:

Whether or not you want to prevent unauthorized use
Whether or not you want to license the work to others
Whether or not you want to re-use the work for other purposes in the future
How much you want to pay to the author of the work

PART C: OWNERSHIP OF COPYRIGHT�

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�

To ensure ownership of copyright, you may do the following:

Sign a written agreement with the author of the work, specifically acknowledging that copyright is transferred

Not needed bearing in mind the default position in S. 26(2) of the Copyright Act 1987
Alternatively, you may agree to licensing the right to use with some type of moratorium

Depending on where you are, consider the necessity of obtaining:

Confirmatory assignment documents immediately after completion of the work, specifically naming the copyright work by title
A waiver of moral rights
Registering the work with the national copyright office (If available)

PART C: OWNERSHIP OF COPYRIGHT�

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Who owns the copyright in works created by employees?

In some other countries, if a work was created by an employee within a scope of his/her employment, then the employer automatically owns the copyright

unless otherwise agreed in the employment agreement or any other supplementary documents

Disputes may arise where the employee does work after hours and/or produces work not within the scope of the employee's ordinary employment
Good practice to have employees sign a written agreement that clearly addresses all the relevant copyright issues prior to commencement of work

PART C: OWNERSHIP OF COPYRIGHT�

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Who owns the copyright in the works created by several authors?

Joint Ownership

Means a work produced by the collaboration of two or more authors in which the contribution of each author is not separable from the contribution of the other author or authors
Ideally, the rights should be exercised on the basis of an agreement between the co-authors
To be avoided as far as reasonably possible, as:

Any one of the joint owners can exploit the work without permission of the other co‐author(s) (but must share the profits generated from such use)

In other jurisdictions, the consent of all joint owners is needed before copyright can be exercised

PART C: OWNERSHIP OF COPYRIGHT�

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Collective works

If the authors do not intend the work to be a joint work and would like their contributions to be used separately, then the work will be deemed to be “collective”
In this case, each author owns the copyright in the part he/she created

Derivative works

A derivative work is a work based on one or more pre-existing works, such as translation, musical arrangement, dramatization or motion picture version of a novel
Making derivative works is an exclusive right of the copyright owner

Therefore, if the original work is protected by copyright, you cannot prepare a derivative work without the copyright owner’s permission
Please note that the Act states that a work shall not be ineligible for copyright by reason only that the making of the work, or the doing of any act in relation to the work involves an infringement of copyright in some other work

PART C: OWNERSHIP OF COPYRIGHT�

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�

Infringement of your economic rights may occur when someone, without authorization is:

doing an act that you alone have the exclusive right to do (e.g. making copies of your copyrighted works);
dealing commercially with an infringing work (e.g., selling a pirate CD); or
importing an infringing work
using a part of your work without authorisation

Moral rights may be infringed if the following occurs:

if your contribution, as author of the work, is not recognized;
if the copier passes himself off as the author of the work; or
if your work is subjected to derogatory treatment or is cut or modified in a way that would be prejudicial to your honour or reputation

PART C: OWNERSHIP OF COPYRIGHT�

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�

There are a few ways how you can commercialize your original and/or creative works:

you may sell the original works that are protected by copyright
you may make copies or reproductions and sell the copies
you may allow someone else to reproduce or otherwise use the works through licensing
you may also sell (assign) your copyright over the works, either entirely or partly

There are many models to choose from, depending on what it is that you intend to achieve for your business

PART C: OWNERSHIP OF COPYRIGHT�

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PART D: USING WORKS OWNED BY OTHERS

When do you need permission?
When you don’t need permission?
Process to get authorisation
How to reduce the risk of infringement

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When permission is needed

The use or exploitation of any works owned by others requires the copyright owner’s permission

e.g. the use of photographs on your website, the playing of the radio for the benefit of your customers

Even usage of a part of a work will require the owners consent
The best way to avoid infringement is by obtaining express written permission of the copyright owner before you use or exploit the work
It is best to seek expert advice before negotiating terms and conditions of the licensing arrangement with the owner of the copyright

PART D: USING WORKS OWNED BY OTHERS�

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When permission is not needed

The content or material is not protected under copyright law

e.g. if you are using facts or ideas and not the author’s expression

The work is in the public domain
The copyright on the work has expired
The content or material is covered by the concepts of

‘fair use’ or ‘fair dealing’
limitation or exception under law

PART D: USING WORKS OWNED BY OTHERS�

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How to Get Authorization

An effective way to obtain authorization is to find out if there is a collective management organization which provide licenses for the use of a particular copyright work
For example the Music Authors’ Copyright Protection (MACP) in Malaysia, is a body that licenses users of music and pays songwriters and publishers if their music is broadcasted or performed publicly
For other types of copyright work, you may need to contact the person named in the copyright notice, which may change over the years
Once you have identified the copyright owner(s) and related rights owners (if any), you will have to negotiate the terms and conditions of the licensing agreement

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Reducing the risk of infringement

Educate employees so that they are aware of possible copyright implications of their work and of others’ rights
Obtain written permission, licenses or assignments, where needed, and ensure employees are familiar with the scope of these permissions, licenses or assignments
Mark any apparatus that could be used to infringe copyright with a clear notice that the apparatus must not be used to infringe copyright
Prohibit employees explicitly from downloading music, video films, etc. from the Internet on office computers
Read agreements and notices regarding copyright works meticulously
Appoint experts for professional advice

PART D: USING WORKS OWNED BY OTHERS�

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Fair Dealing

Copyright laws in most countries provide for several limitations and exceptions wherein copyright work can be used, either for a fee, free and/or with or without the permission of the owner;
exceptions, for example:

Private study, non-profit research, criticism , review and reporting of current events;
Doing the above acts by way of parody, pastiche or caricature;
Use of a work for the purposes of examination questions;
Reading or recitation in public of any reasonable extract from a published work accompanied by sufficient acknowledgment
Use of any work under the direction of governmental bodies where such use is in the public interest and no profit is derived from it

PART D: USING WORKS OWNED BY OTHERS�

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Fair Dealing (Continued)

Performance of a work by a non-profit institution for charitable or educational purposes, where no admission fee is charged in respect of such performance
Any use of a work for the purposes of any judicial proceedings, the proceedings of a royal commission, a legislative body, statutory or Governmental inquiry, or of any report of any such proceedings, or for the purpose of the giving of professional advice by a legal practitioner
Making of quotations from a published work if they are compatible with fair practice and their extent does not exceed that justified by the purpose

The abovesaid exceptions are subject to certain qualifying acts, e.g.

the mention of the source of reference and the name of the author and/or owner of the copyright

PART D: USING WORKS OWNED BY OTHERS�

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Q1. Identify the incorrect statement�

Copyright grants authors, composers, artists and other creators legal protection for their literary, artistic, dramatic and other types of creations.
Copyright usually protects not only works that are expressed in print, but also works that are created or stored in electronic or digital media.
Copyright protects not only the way in which an idea is expressed, but also the underlying ideas or concepts in a particular creation.
Unlike most other IP rights where registration is required, copyright and related rights protection is available as soon as a work comes into existence.

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Q2. Identify the incorrect statement:

Copyright protects works of authors, whereas related rights are granted to a few categories of people for their important role in communicating and disseminating some types of works to the public.
There are three kinds of related rights; rights of performers in their performances, rights of producers of sound recordings in their recordings, and rights of broadcasters in their broadcasts.
The right of the producer of a sound recording is separate from and additional to the copyright in the underlying composition. So, when reproducing a sound recording there may be several different rights to consider.
The copyright of the work created by an employee is automatically owned by the employer.

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Q3. Identify the incorrect statement:

If a work was created in the course of a commission contract, the person who ordered the work will have a license to use the work for any purpose he/she wants.
To qualify for copyright protection, it must be original work which is developed independently irrespectively of artistic quality or value.
Copyright provides both economic rights and moral rights. The economic rights protect the author's economic interests and the moral rights protect the creator's creative integrity and reputation.
In most countries, protection of the economic rights lasts for the lifetime of the creator plus an additional period of at least fifty years.

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