RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE IP/Q/PRT/1
21November 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-4940)
Original: English Council forTrade-Related Aspects
ofIntellectual Property Rights
REVIEW OFLEGISLATION ONCOPYRIGHT AND RELATED RIGHTS
Portugal1
ThepresentdocumentreproducesthequestionsputtothedelegationofPortugalandtheresponses
given inthereview oflegislation oncopyright andrelated rights attheCouncil 'smeeting of
22to25July19962.
_______________
I. REPLIES TOQUESTIONS POSED BYPOLAND
1. Please indicate whether domestic lawonprotection ofworks, phonograms andperformances
aswellasonbroadcast organizations isinfullconformity withtheprovisions ofArticle 14oftheTRIPS
Agreement.
Portuguese lawprotects allneighbouring rights inthesense ofTRIPS Article 14butonlyin
whatconcerns ECperformers, producers andbroadcasters.
Portugal intends toaccede totheRome Convention intheshort term. Thus, wewilladapt
ourinternal legislation toTRIPS Article 14rules. Article 14doesnotconcern works.
Portugal, asamember oftheBerne Union, gives national treatment -referred inArticle 5
oftheBerne Convention -toallcontracting parties ofBerne (seeCopyright Code Article 64).
2. Does Portugal intend toaccede totheRome Convention?
Asreferred tointheprevious answer, Portugal intends toaccede, assoonaspossible, tothe
Rome Convention.
1Portugal 'snotification oflawsandregulations intheareaofcopyright andrelated rights under Article 63.2
oftheAgreement hasbeen circulated indocument IP/N/1/PRT/1 andIP/N/1/PRT/C/1.
2Theminutes ofthemeeting have been circulated indocument IP/C/M/8.IP/Q/PRT/1
Page2
II. REPLIES TOQUESTIONS POSED BYTHE UNITED STATES
1. Please explain whether andhowPortugal 'slawprovides protection forworks, phonograms
andperformances fromother WTO Members, andwhether andhowitdoessoonthebasis ofnational
treatment, asrequired byTRIPS Article 3(generally, withrespect toallcopyrights andneighbouring
rights) andArticle 9.1(incorporating Berne Article 5(1)). Inparticular, please explain hownational
treatment isafforded withrespect tothedistribution ofblank tapelevies under Article 82ofPortugal 's
Copyright Law.
Inrespect ofworks, Portugal asaMember StateoftheBerne Union grants thenational treatment
under Berne Article 5,reproduced under Copyright Code Article 64.
Regarding phonograms andperformances, Portugal, inspiteofnotbeing aMember Stateof
theRome Convention, grants national treatment under Copyright Code Article 190butonlytoEC
copyright owners. However, Portugal ispreparing toaccede totheRome Convention.
Theprotection under Copyright Code Article 190isgranted, provided that:
- theperformer ortheproducer ofphonograms beanational ofoneoftheECMember
States;
- theperformance orthefixation hasoccurred inPortuguese territory;
- theoriginal performance hasbeenfixed orbroadcast inthePortuguese territory or
thephonogram hasbeenrecorded forthefirsttimeinPortugal orsimultaneously in
Portugal andanother country.
Copyright Code Article 82isnotyetregulated. However, itshallberegulated inaveryshort
period oftimeandthere isalready apre-project which isbeing discussed withtheinterested parties
(e.g.associations ofproducers ofphonograms, booksellers andeditors).
ThenationaltreatmentisthereforesupposedtobegrantedaslaiddownbytheTRIPSAgreement.
[Follow-up question]
Please confirm thatPortugal intends toamend itslawtoprovide national treatment to
phonograms andperformances fromallWTO Member countries, andindicate theexpected timetable
forthisamendment.
Portugal willmake thenecessary adaption ofitsinternal law,inorder toguarantee therights
deriving from theTreaty. Itisdifficult toname aprecise date, since copyright isconstitutional by
nature, andtherefore fallswithin thecompetence ofParliament -Assembela daRepública.
2. DoesPortugal apply the"ruleoftheshorter term" tophonograms andperformances fromother
WTO Members? Ifso,please explain howyoujustify suchaction under TRIPS Article 4.
Portugal applies toallneighbouring rights owners atermofprotection of50years. Asprovided
byCopyright Code Articles 183,186and188,Portugal doesnotgiveanyprivilege toanyspecial
country.IP/Q/PRT/1
Page3
3. Please explain whether andhowPortugal protects against both thedirect andindirect
reproduction ofphonograms asrequired byTRIPS Article 14.2, including bydigital transmission in
thecontext ofsubscription orinteractive services.
Portugal provides alsofordirect andindirect reproduction under Copyright Code Article 184,
butonlyforPortuguese andECproducers intheconditions referred inanswer toquestion 1.
[Follow-up question]
Theanswer tothisquestion indicates thatthereisnoreproduction rightforphonograms under
portuguese lawother thanforECproducers. Please clarify thisissue. Ifthisisthecase, please explain
howthefailure toprovide national treatment forthisrighttoother WTO Member countries isconsistent
withTRIPS.
TheAmerican delegation hascorrectly interpreted themeaning ofourlastanswer. Presently,
onlytheproducers ofnational orEU'sphonograms areprotected. Intime, Portuguese lawwillbe
adapted toTRIPS.
4. Please explain whether andhowPortugal provides fullretroactive protection toworks,
phonograms andperformances fromother WTO Members, asrequired byTRIPS Articles 9.1,14.6
and70.2, eachofwhich incorporate byreference orrelyuponBerne Article 18.Please givethedate
backtowhich suchprotection extends withrespect toeachcategory ofsubject matter.
Theprotection period is70years forauthors and50years forrelated rightholders byforce
of93/98 CEE directive of29October 1993.
Berne Article 7(8)provides theprinciple ofmaterial reciprocity. Copyright Code Article 64
copes withthisBerne article. Thence, concerning theauthor, thePortuguese lawfaces noproblem.
Ontheotherhand, theapplication "mutatis mutandis "ofBerne Article 18torelated rightholders
provides them withprotection.
There isnoprovision offullretroactive protection asimplied inthequestion.
Berne Article 18(2) expressly stipulates: "if,however, through theexpiry oftheterm of
protection which waspreviously granted, awork hasfallen intothepublic domain ofthecountry where
protection isclaimed, thatwork shallnotbeprotected anew".
5. Please explain thecriminal andcivilremedies available forcopyright infringement andthe
extent towhich theyfullyimplement theobligations inTRIPS Articles 41,45,50and61. Inthe
response, please specify, interalia,whether these remedies mayinclude theseizure, forfeiture and
destruction ofinfringing articles andequipment usedtomake theinfringing articles, asrequired by
Article 46and61,andthemanner inwhich thegrant ofcivilprovisional relief isprovided inaccordance
withTRIPS Article 50.Please alsoexplain howcivildamages aremeasured inthecaseofcomputer
program infringement andwhen andhowattorney ’sfeesandcourt costs areawarded.
Portuguese lawincludes already several oftheTRIPS obligations -seeCopyright Code Articles
195to212.
Article 205emphasizes thecivilremedy -theseizure andforfeiture ofgoods related withthe
infringement andcautious provisions -Articles 201and209respectively -andcriminal sanctions in
Articles 195to197.IP/Q/PRT/1
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Weindicate thenorms more closely related toTRIPS Articles 45,50and61.
Inthecaseofcomputer programme infringements areapplied provisions contained in
LawDecree 252/94 of20October -Articles 13to15.
Nevertheless questions relating totheenforcement oftheCopyright Code aretobeconsidered
laterinthescrutiny process.
6. Please explain howArticle 75ofthePortuguese Copyright Law, which provides forcertain
broad exceptions totheexclusive rights granted tothecopyright owner complies withBerne Article
9(2)andTRIPS Article 13,which require limitations andexceptions toexclusive rights tobelimited
tocertain special cases which donotconflict withanormal exploitation ofthework anddonot
unreasonably prejudice thelegitimate interests oftherightholder.
Berne Article 9(2)andTRIPS Article 13doesnotcomply since theformer isreferred only
toreproduction rights andthelatter isextensive toallexclusive rights.
Nevertheless these aretwogeneric rules which allow thenational legislator toregulate over
such"limitations orexceptions".
ThisiswhatthePortuguese legislator didunder Copyright Code Article 75toprotect interests
ofrightholders, users andpublic ingeneral aswell.
Wedonotconsider thatArticle 75needs anychange tocomply withthetwoabove referred norms.
[Follow-up question]
Please explain whether andhowtheliteral textofArticle 75ofPortugal 'scopyright lawhas
beenlimited inoperation orapplication.
Article 75ofourCopyright andNeighbouring Rights Code wasnot-nordidithavetobe-
subject toanylimitation. Nothing inTRIPS imposes theneutralization offreeuseestablished bythe
Portuguese provision.
7. Article 2ofPortugal ’sCopyright Law, which liststheclasses ofprotected works, doesnot
include computer programs. Please explain howcomputer programs areprotected under Portugal ’s
copyright lawand,inparticular, whether theyareexplicitly protected “asliterary works ”asrequired
byArticle 10ofTRIPS, andwhether copyright owners aregranted arental rightintheirprograms,
asrequired byArticle 11ofTRIPS.
Asstated inanswer toquestion 5Portugal protects thecomputer programmes under aspecific
norm -theLawDecree 252/94 of20October.
According totheabove-mentioned LawDecree, thecomputer programmes when created are
explicitly protected "asliterary works".
Copyright owners arenotyetgranted rental rights intheirprogrammes.
TheECdirective 92/100 concerning rental rights isnowbeing translated intothePortuguese
lawnamely theCopyright Code. Computer copyright owners shallaccordingly begranted thesame
rights.IP/Q/PRT/1
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[Follow-up question]
Please indicate Portugal 'stimetable forproviding rental rights incomputer programmes, as
required byTRIPS Article 10,effective on1January 1996.
Therental rightmentioned inthisquestion isdetermined byArticle 11ofTRIPS, andnotby
Article 10.
Portugal fulfilled thisobligation inadvance, since thatrightiscontemplated inArticle 8of
theLawDecree No.252/94, issued on20October (legal protection ofcomputer programmes).
8. Article 3ofPortugal ’sCopyright Lawspecifies theprotection granted tocollective works, but
failstostatewhether databases andother material thatarebased onfactual information areprotected,
asrequired byArticle 10ofTRIPS. Please explain howdatabases areprotected under Portugal ’s
copyright law.
Compilations ofworks andother materials areunder protection bythePortuguese law
Articles 3(1bandc)duetowhich several databases aregranted protection.
TRIPSArticle10.2onextendingtheprotectionscoperequiresthePortugueselawtobeamended.
AnywaytheTRIPSnormonthissubjectisovercomebytheECactualdirectivewhichextensively
specifies thewhole subject matter.
Thenational transposition oftheECdirective shalleventually overcome theneeds implied
byTRIPS Article 10.2.
[Follow-up question]
Please indicate Portugal 'stimetable forproviding protection fordatabases, asrequired by
TRIPS Article 10,effective on1January 1996.
Portugal willwork onthecreation ofspecific provisions regarding theprotection ofdatabases,
according towhatitisestablished inTRIPS, bythetimetheEUDirective concerning thismatter is
implemented bythenational competent authorities.
Thismatter isofthestrict competence ofParliament. Therefore, theGovernment needs a
lawbywhich itisauthorized tolegislate onthesubject concerned. Itisforeseen thatin1997 such
provisions shallbeapproved.
[General follow-up question]
HastheTRIPS Agreement beenself-executing inPortugal since1January 1996? Inparticular,
canarightholder fromanyother WTO Member country suetoenforce rights thatarerequired tobe
granted byTRIPS?
TRIPS waspublished intheOfficial Journal -Diàrio daRepública -on12December 1994.
National lawoncopyright andneighbouring rights hasnotyetbeenadapted toallrequirements which
derive from theapplication oftheTreaty. Itiswellknown thatthere aretwodifferent conceptions
astowhether ornotrulescontained ininternational agreements dulyratified, inthiscasebyPortugal,
aredirectly applicable.IP/Q/PRT/1
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Oneoftheconceptions upholds that,eversince thepublication ofthelaw,itsprinciples and
rules canbeimmediately invoked, namely those creating rights favouring private individuals. The
other conception sustains thatonlyaftertheeffective adaptation oftheinternal juridical order arethose
lawsofabinding nature. Bothpositions co-exist indoctrine andjurisprudence. Werealize thatthe
United States prefer thefirstposition andreadtheTreaty under thatpoint ofview.