Legal Environment Information Technology in Sri Lanka Legal Environment 1. Intellectual Property Intellectual property in Sri Lanka is protected through the Intellectual Property Act of 1979 which embodies legislation pertaining to copyright, industrial designs, patents, trademarks, trade names and unfair competition. All trademark designs, copyrights and patents must be registered with the Government Registry of Patents and Trademarks. Registered trademarks are valid for 10 years, patents are valid for 15 years, and industrial designs are valid for 5 years.
Patents are available for all areas of technology.
Sri Lanka is not a member of the Universal Copyright Convention of 1952. It is, however, a party to the Bern Copyright Convention. Copyrights include exclusive rights to reproduce work, translate, revise or otherwise adapt or prepare program derivative works, distribute copy of the works and publicly communicate the work at present. Copyright protection is not extended to computer programs and databases. However, under the U.S.-Sri Lankan bilateral agreement, U.S. software producers receive copyright protection in Sri Lanka.