Source: http://www.legi-internet.ro/en/romanian-itc-legislation-and-articles/drept-de-autor/romanian-copyright-law/romanian-law-on-copyright-and-neighboring-rights-no-81996.html
Timestamp: 2018-02-22 20:26:08
Document Index: 390636737

Matched Legal Cases: ['Art. 1', 'Art. 3', 'Art. 4', 'Art. 5', 'Art 6', 'Art. 7', 'Art. 8', 'Art. 9', 'Art. 10', 'Art. 11', 'Art. 12', 'Art. 13', 'Art. 141', 'Art. 142', 'Art. 143', 'Art. 144', 'Art. 145', 'Art. 15', 'Art. 151', 'Art. 152', 'Art. 151', 'Art. 16', 'Art. 21', 'Art. 23', 'Art. 24', 'Art. 25', 'Art. 26', 'Art. 27', 'Art. 33', 'Art. 34', 'Art. 35', 'Art. 36', 'Art. 37', 'Art. 38', 'Art. 39', 'Art. 41', 'Art. 43', 'Art. 44', 'Art. 45', 'Art. 46', 'Art. 47', 'Art. 48', 'Art. 51', 'Art. 52', 'Art. 56', 'Art. 57', 'Art. 58', 'Art. 59', 'Art. 60', 'Art. 61', 'Art. 63', 'Art. 65', 'Art. 67', 'Art. 68', 'Art. 70', 'Art. 13', 'Art. 71', 'Art. 72', 'Art. 73', 'Art. 75', 'Art. 77', 'Art. 78', 'Art. 79', 'Art. 80', 'Art. 83', 'Art. 84', 'Art. 85', 'Art. 86', 'Art. 87', 'Art. 88', 'Art. 91', 'Art. 92', 'Art. 93', 'Art. 94', 'Art. 96', 'Art. 97', 'Art. 98', 'Art. 99', 'Art. 102', 'Art. 103', 'Art. 105', 'Art. 92', 'Art. 106', 'Art. 1061', 'Art. 1062', 'Art. 1063', 'Art. 1064', 'Art. 1065', 'Art. 1066', 'Art. 107', 'Art. 34', 'Art. 1072', 'Art. 108', 'Art. 1111', 'Art. 112', 'Art. 33', 'Art. 1121', 'Art. 113', 'Art. 1131', 'Art. 1132', 'Art. 114', 'Art. 117', 'Art. 118', 'Art. 119', 'Art. 121', 'Art. 1211', 'Art. 121', 'Art. 1221', 'Art. 1222', 'Art. 1223', 'Art. 1224', 'Art. 123', 'Art. 1231', 'Art. 1232', 'Art. 1233', 'Art.1231', 'Art.1232', 'Art. 1234', 'Art. 125', 'Art. 1251', 'Art. 126', 'Art. 127', 'Art. 129', 'Art. 130', 'Art. 131', 'Art. 130', 'Art. 1311', 'Art. 1312', 'Art. 1313', 'Art. 133', 'Art. 1071', 'Art. 121', 'Art. 134', 'Art. 1341', 'Art. 135', 'Art. 137', 'Art. 138', 'Art. 1381', 'Art. 138', 'Art. 1382', 'Art. 138', 'Art. 1384', 'Art. 1385', 'Art. 1386', 'Art. 1387', 'Art.139', 'Art. 1391', 'Art. 1392', 'Art. 1393', 'Art. 1394', 'Art. 1395', 'Art. 1392', 'Art. 1396', 'Art. 140', 'Art. 1411', 'Art. 142', 'Art. 1431', 'Art. 144', 'Art. 145', 'Art. 146', 'Art. 148', 'Art. 149', 'Art. 150', 'Art. 15', 'Art. 15', 'Art. 154']

. Romanian Law on Copyright and Neighboring Rights no 8/1996: Legi internet
Romanian Law on Copyright and Neighboring Rights
(No. 8 of March 14, 1996)
The text includes the subsequent amendments and completions provided for in Law no. 285/2004 on the modification and completion of Law no.8/1996 (the Official Gazette of Romania no.587/30.06.2004), GEO no.123/2005 on the modification and completion of Law no. 8/1996 (the Official Gazette of Romania no.843/19.09.2005) and Law no. 329/2006 (the Official Gazette of Romania no. 657/31.07.2006).
Art. 1.ââ‚¬”(1) The copyright in a literary, artistic or scientific work and in any similar work of intellectual creation shall be recognized and guaranteed as provided in this Law. That right vests in the author and embodies attributes of moral and economic character.
Art. 3.ââ‚¬”(1) The natural person or persons who created the work shall be the author thereof.
Art. 4.ââ‚¬”(1) Unless proved otherwise, the person under whose name the work was first disclosed to the public shall be presumed to be the author thereof.
(2) Where the work was disclosed to the public anonymously or under a pseudonym that does not identify the author, the copyright shall be exercised by the person whether natural person or legal entity who discloses it to the public with the authorââ‚¬â„¢s consent, as long as the latter does not disclose his identity.
Art. 5.ââ‚¬”(1) A work of joint authorship shall be a work created by several co-authors in collaboration.
(4) Where each co-authorââ‚¬â„¢s contribution is distinct, that contribution may be exploited separately, provided that it does not prejudice the exploitation of the joint work or the rights of the other co-authors.
Art 6.ââ‚¬”(1) A collective work shall be a work in which the personal contributions of the co-authors form a whole, without it being possible, in view of the nature of the work, to ascribe a distinct right to any one of the co-authors in the whole work so created.
Art. 7.ââ‚¬” The subject matter of copyright shall be original works of intellectual creation in the literary, artistic, or scientific field, regardless of their manner of creation, specific form or mode of expression and independently of their merit and purpose, such as:
Art. 8.ââ‚¬” Without prejudice to the rights of the authors of the original work, copyright shall likewise subsist in derived works created on the basis of one or more pre-existing works, namely:
Art. 9.ââ‚¬” The following shall not benefit from the legal protection accorded to copyright:
Art. 10.ââ‚¬” The author of a work shall have the following moral rights:
Art. 11.ââ‚¬”(1) The moral rights may not be renounced or disposed of.
(2) After the authorââ‚¬â„¢s death, the exercise of the rights provided for in Article 10 (a), (b) and (d) shall be transferred by inheritance, in keeping with civil legislation, for an unlimited period of time. If there are no heirs, the exercise of the said rights shall revert to the collective management organization that has managed the authorââ‚¬â„¢s rights or, as the case may be, to the organization having the largest membership, in the field of creation concerned.
Art. 12.ââ‚¬” The author of a work shall have the exclusive economic right to decide whether, how, and when his work is to be used or exploited, including the right to authorize the use of the work by others.
Art. 13.ââ‚¬” The use of a work gives rise to distinct and exclusive economic rights of the author to authorize or to prohibit:
(c) import for trading on the domestic market, of copies of the work made with the authorââ‚¬â„¢s consent;
Art. 141.ââ‚¬” (1) For the purposes of the present law, distribution means the sale or any other manner of transmittal, for a consideration or free of charge, of the original or of copies of a work, as well as their offering to the public.
Art. 142.ââ‚¬” For the purposes of the present law, import means the introduction on the domestic market, for trading, of the original or of the legally made copies of a work fixed on any kind of physical medium.
Art. 143.ââ‚¬” For the purposes of the present law, rental means making available for use, for a limited period and for a direct or indirect economic or commercial advantage, of a work.
Art. 144.ââ‚¬” (1) For the purposes of the present law, lending means making available for use, for a limited period and without a direct or indirect economic or commercial advantage, of a work through the agency of an institution allowing access of the public for this purpose.
(2) Lending through the agency of libraries does not require authorââ‚¬â„¢s authorization and entitles him to an equitable remuneration. This right cannot be waived.
Art. 145.ââ‚¬” The provisions of this law on rental and lending shall not be applied to:
e) works created by the author inside the individual labour contract, if those are used by the authorââ‚¬â„¢s employer, during common activity
Art. 15.ââ‚¬” (1) Communication to the public means any communication of a work, directly or by any technical means, made in a place opened for public or in any other place where a number of persons exceeding the normal circle of the members of a family and of its acquaintances assemble, including stage performance, recitation or any other public form of performance or direct presentation of the work, public display of works of plastic art, of applied art, of photographic art and of architecture, public projection of cinematographic and of other audiovisual works, including of works of digital art, presentation in a public place, by means of sound or audiovisual recordings, as well as presentation in a public place, by any means, of a broadcast work. Any communication of a work by wire or wireless means, including by making the works available to the public, via Internet or other computer networks, so that any member of the public to have access, from anywhere or at any moment individually chosen, shall also be considered as communication to the public.
Art. 151.ââ‚¬” For the purposes of the present law, broadcasting means:
Art. 152.ââ‚¬” For the purposes of the present law, cable retransmission means simultaneous, unaltered and total retransmission by an operator, by the means provided for under the Art. 151 letter b) or by a system of broadcasting by ultrasounds, for the reception by the public, of an initial transmission, by wire or wireless, including by satellite, of services of radio or television broadcasting programs, for the purpose of reception by the public.
Art. 16.ââ‚¬” For the purposes of the present law, making of derivative works means translation, publication in collections, adaptation as well as any other transformation of a preexistent work, if it is an intellectual creation.
Art. 21.ââ‚¬”(1) The author of an original work of graphic or plastic art or of a photographic work benefits from a resale right representing the right to collect a share from the net selling price obtained at any resale of the work, after the first alienation by the author, as well as the right to be informed of the workââ‚¬â„¢s whereabouts.
(4) The amount owed on the grounds of paragraph (1) is computed according to the following shares, without exceeding EUR 12,500 or the equivalent in Lei:
a) from EUR 300 to EUR 3,000 - 5%
b) from EUR 3,000.01 to EUR 50,000 - 4%
c) from EUR 50,000.01 to EUR 200,000 - 3%
d) from EUR 200,000.01 to EUR 350,000 - 1%
e) from EUR 350,000.01 to EUR 500,000 - 0.5%
f) over EUR 500,000 - 0.25%.
Art. 23.ââ‚¬”(1) The owner of the original of a work shall not have the right to destroy it before having offered it to the author at the cost price of the material.
Art. 24.ââ‚¬”(1) The copyright in a literary, artistic or scientific work shall come into being at the time of the workââ‚¬â„¢s creation, regardless of the specific form or manner of expression thereof.
Art. 25.ââ‚¬”(1) The economic rights provided for in Articles 13 and 21 shall last for the authorââ‚¬â„¢s lifetime, and after his death shall be transferred by inheritance, according to civil legislation, for a period of 70 years, regardless of the date on which the work was legally disclosed to the public. If there are no heirs, the exercise of these rights shall devolve upon the collective administration organization mandated by the author during his lifetime or, failing a mandate, to the collective administration organization with the largest membership in the area of creation concerned.
(2) The person who, after the copyright protection has expired, legally discloses for the first time a previously unpublished work to the public shall enjoy protection equivalent to that of the authorââ‚¬â„¢s economic rights. The duration of the protection of those rights shall be 25 years, starting at the time of the first legal disclosure to the public.
Art. 26.ââ‚¬”(1) The term of the economic rights in works legally disclosed to the public under a pseudonym or without a mention of the authorââ‚¬â„¢s name shall be 70 years from the date on which they were disclosed to the public.
(2) Where the authorââ‚¬â„¢s identity is revealed to the public before the term mentioned in paragraph (1) expires, or the pseudonym used by the author leaves no doubt about his identity, the provisions of Article 25 (1) shall apply.
Art. 27.ââ‚¬”(1) The term of the economic rights in works of joint authorship shall be 70 years from the death of the last surviving co-author.
Art. 33.ââ‚¬”(1) The following uses of a work already disclosed to the public shall be permitted without the authorââ‚¬â„¢s consent and without payment of remuneration, provided that such uses conform to proper practice, are not at variance with the normal exploitation of the work and are not prejudicial to the author or to the owners of the exploitation rights:
(d) the reproduction of brief excerpts from works for information or research within the framework of libraries, museums, film archives, sound archives, archives of non-profit cultural or scientific public institutions; the complete reproduction of a copy of a work shall be allowed for the replacement of the sole copy in such an archive or libraryââ‚¬â„¢s permanent collection in the event of the destruction, serious deterioration or loss thereof;
g) the representation and execution of a work as part of the activities of educational establishments, exclusively for specific purposes and provided that both the representation or execution and the publicââ‚¬â„¢s access are free of charge;
d) of works, for the sole purpose of illustration for teaching or scientific research;
e) of works, for the benefit of people with disabilities, which are directly related to that disability and to the extent required by the specific disability.
(4) In all cases provided for in paragraph (1) letters b), c), e), f), i) and paragraph (2) the source, including the author's name, has to be indicated, unless this turns out to be impossible; in case of works of plastic art, photographic or architecture works the place in which the original is to be found has to be indicated
Art. 34.ââ‚¬”(1) It shall not be a violation of copyright, for the purposes of this law, the reproduction of a work, without the authorââ‚¬â„¢s consent for personal use or for use by a normal family circle, provided that the work has already been disclosed to the public, while the reproduction does not contravene to the normal use of the work or prejudice the author or the owner of the utilization rights.
Art. 35.ââ‚¬” The alteration of a work shall be permissible without the authorââ‚¬â„¢s consent and without payment of remuneration in the following cases:
Art. 36.ââ‚¬” Repealed.
Art. 37.ââ‚¬”(1) For the purpose of testing the operation of their products at the time of manufacture or sale, trading companies engaged in the production or sale of sound or audiovisual recordings, equipment for the reproduction or communication to the public thereof and also equipment for receiving radio and television broadcasts may reproduce and present extracts from works, provided that such acts are performed only to the extent required for testing.
Art. 38.ââ‚¬” (1) The assignment of the broadcasting right of a work to a radio or television broadcasting organization shall entitle it to record the work for the needs of its own broadcasts with a view to a single authorized broadcast to the public. A new authorization from the authors shall be required in case of any new broadcast of the work so recorded, against remuneration that cannot be waived. If no such authorization is requested within 6 months as from the first broadcast, the recording must be destroyed.
Transfer of the Authorââ‚¬â„¢s Economic Rights
Art. 39.ââ‚¬”(1) The author or the owner of the copyright may transfer only his economic rights by contract to other persons.
(2) That transfer of the authorââ‚¬â„¢s economic rights may be limited to certain rights, to a certain territory, and to a certain period of time.
Art. 41.ââ‚¬”(1) The contract for the transfer of the economic rights shall specify the economic rights transferred and to mention for each of them the forms of exploitation, the duration and scope of the transferr as well as the remuneration payable to the copyright owner. The absence of any of these elements shall entitle the interested party
(2) Any transfer of the economic rights in all of the authorââ‚¬â„¢s future works, whether designated or not, shall be null and void.
Art. 43.ââ‚¬”(1) The remuneration payable under a contract for the transfer of economic rights shall be established by agreement between the parties. The amount of the remuneration shall be calculated either in proportion to the sums collected from the exploitation of the work, or as a lump sum, or in any other way.
Art. 44.ââ‚¬”(1) Unless otherwise provided by contract, the economic rights in a work created for the fulfillment of job duties specified in an individual employment contract, shall belong to the author of the work so created. In such case, the author may authorize the use of the work by third parties, only subject to employerââ‚¬â„¢s consent and to his rewarding for the contribution to the costs of creation. The use of the work by employer, within the framework of the object of activity is not subject to authorization from the author employee.
(2) If such a clause does exist, it shall specify the period for which the authorââ‚¬â„¢s economic rights have been assigned. Failing the specification of the period, it shall be three years from the date on which the work is handed over.
Art. 45.ââ‚¬”(1) Unless otherwise agreed, the owner of the copyright in a work appearing in a periodical publication shall retain the right to use it in any form, provided that the publication in which the work appears is not thereby prejudiced.
Art. 46.ââ‚¬”(1) In case of the contract of commissioning future works, unless otherwise provided, the economic rights belong to the author.
Art. 47.ââ‚¬”(1) The author may request the cancellation of a contract assigning his economic rights where the assignee fails to exploit them or exploits them to an insufficient extent, thereby seriously affecting the authorââ‚¬â„¢s legitimate interests.
Art. 48.ââ‚¬”(1) The publishing contract is an instrument by which the owner of the copyright assigns to the publisher, in exchange for remuneration, the right to reproduce and distribute the work.
(2) An agreement by which the owner of the copyright in a work empowers a publisher to reproduce and possibly also to distribute the work at the formerââ‚¬â„¢s expense shall not constitute a publishing contract.
Art. 51.ââ‚¬”(1) The publishing contract shall include clauses specifying:
(d) the authorââ‚¬â„¢s remuneration, determined in accordance with this Law;
Art. 52.ââ‚¬” (1) The publisher who has acquired the copyright in a work in book form shall have precedence over other similar bidders offering the same price for the publication of the work in electronic form. The publisher shall submit his bid in writing no later than 30 days after having received the authorââ‚¬â„¢s written offer.
Art. 56.ââ‚¬”(1) Unless otherwise agreed, the publishing contract shall end when the set term thereof expires or when the last agreed edition is exhausted.
Art. 57.ââ‚¬”(1) Where the work is destroyed for reasons of force majeure, the author shall be entitled to remuneration, which shall be paid to him only if the work was published.
Art. 58.ââ‚¬” (1) Under a theatrical or musical performance contract the owner of the copyright assigns to a natural person or legal entity the right to perform or execute in public a present or future literary, dramatic, musical, dramatico-musical, choreographic or mimed work in exchange for remuneration, and the transferee is obliged to execute or to perform it under the agreed conditions.
Art. 59.ââ‚¬”(1) The theatrical or musical performance contract shall be concluded in writing for a specified period of time or for a specified number of communications to the public.
Art. 60.ââ‚¬”(1) The assignee shall be obliged to permit the author to oversee the performance of the work and provide adequate support to ensure that the technical conditions for the performance are fulfilled. The assignee shall likewise send to the author the program, posters and other printed material and also reviews published on the performance, unless otherwise provided in the contract.
(2) The assignee shall be obliged to ensure the public performance of the work under adequate technical conditions and also the observance of the authorââ‚¬â„¢s rights.
Art. 61.ââ‚¬”(1) The assignee shall be obliged periodically to communicate to the owner of the copyright the number of theatrical or musical performances and also the state of the takings. To that end, the theatrical or musical performance contract shall also specify the intervals between such communications, which shall not however be fewer than one a year.
Art. 63.ââ‚¬”(1) Under a contract for the rental of a work, the author undertakes to allow the use, for a specified period of time, of at least one copy of his work, whether the original or a reproduction thereof, in the case especially of computer programs or works embodied in sound or audiovisual recordings. The assignee of the rental right undertakes to pay remuneration to the author for as long as he uses the copy of the work.
Art. 65.ââ‚¬”(1) The director or maker of an audiovisual work is the natural person which within the contract with the producer oversees the creation and production of the audiovisual work in the capacity of main author.
Art. 67.ââ‚¬”(1) Where one of the authors within the meaning of the foregoing Article refuses to complete his contribution to the audiovisual work, or is prevented from doing so, he may not object to its use for the completion of the said work. He shall have the right to be remunerated for the completed portion of his contribution.
Art. 68.ââ‚¬”(1) The right of audiovisual adaptation is the exclusive right of the owner of the copyright in a pre-existing work to transform it into or include it in an audiovisual work.
Art. 70.ââ‚¬”(1) By the contracts concluded between the authors of the audiovisual work and the producer, unless otherwise provided, it shall be presumed that they assign to the producer, with the exception of the authors of the specially composed music, the exclusive rights with respect to the use of the work as a whole, provided for in Art. 13, as well as the right to authorize dubbing and subtitling, against an equitable remuneration.
Art. 71.ââ‚¬”(1) Unless otherwise agreed, the remuneration for each mode of exploitation of the audiovisual work shall be proportional to the gross earnings deriving from that exploitation.
Art. 72.ââ‚¬”(1) Under this Law, the protection of computer programs includes any expression of a program, application programs and operating systems expressed in any kind of language, whether in source code or object code, the preparatory design material and the manuals.
Art. 73.ââ‚¬” The author of a computer program shall enjoy by analogy the rights provided for in Part I of the present Title of this Law, and especially the exclusive right to do and authorize the following:
Art. 75.ââ‚¬”(1) Unless otherwise agreed, a contract for the use of a computer program shall assume that:
Art. 77.ââ‚¬”(1) The authorized user of a computer program may, without authorization from the author, make an archive or reserve copy where necessary for the use of the program.
Art. 78.ââ‚¬” The authorization of the copyright owner shall not be mandatory where the reproduction of the code or translation of its form is indispensable to procure information required for the interoperability of a computer program with other computer programs, provided that the following conditions have been fulfilled:
Art. 79.ââ‚¬” Information obtained by virtue of Article 78:
(c) may not be used for the development, production or marketing of a computer program that is basically similar in expression or for any other act that might damage the authorââ‚¬â„¢s rights.
Art. 80.ââ‚¬” The provisions of Articles 78 and 79 shall not apply if they are liable to prejudice either the owner of the copyright or the normal exploitation of the computer program.
Works of Three-Dimensional Art,
Architecture, and Photography
Art. 83.ââ‚¬”(1) The contract for the reproduction of an artistic work shall contain information identifying the work, such as a summary description, a sketch, a drawing, a photograph and references to the authorââ‚¬â„¢s signature.
(2) Reproductions shall not be put on sale without the copyright ownerââ‚¬â„¢s approval of the copy that shall have been submitted to him for examination.
(3) The authorââ‚¬â„¢s name or pseudonym or some other sign identifying the work shall appear on all copies thereof.
Art. 84.ââ‚¬”(1) Architectural and town-planning studies and projects displayed close to the site of the architectural work, and also the corresponding construction work carried out, must bear a written notice in a visible place giving the name of the author, unless otherwise agreed by contract.
Art. 85.ââ‚¬”(1) Still photographs from cinematographic films shall be considered photographic works.
Art. 86.ââ‚¬”(1) The right of the author of a photographic work to exploit his own work shall not prejudice the rights of the author of the artistic work reproduced in the photographic work.
Art. 87.ââ‚¬” (1) A photograph of a person, when made to order, may be published or reproduced by the person photographed or his successors without the authorââ‚¬â„¢s consent, unless otherwise agreed.
Art. 88.ââ‚¬” (1) The distribution of a work containing a portrait shall require the authorization of the person represented in that portrait. Its author, owner or possessor shall not have the right to reproduce or exploit it without the consent of the person represented, or that of his successors, for a period of 20 years after the death of the said person.
(a) of a widely-known person, if the portrait was made on the occasion of that personââ‚¬â„¢s public activities ;
(b) of a person where the representation of that person constitutes only a detail of a work representing an assembly, a landscape or a public function.
Art. 91.ââ‚¬” (1) At the authorââ‚¬â„¢s request, the publisher or producer shall be obliged to preserve the secrecy of the information sources used in the works and to abstain from publishing documents referring thereto.
Art. 92.ââ‚¬” (1) Neighbouring rights shall not prejudice the rights of authors. No provision of this Title shall be interpreted in such a way as to limit the exercise of copyright.
Art. 93.ââ‚¬” Repealed.
Art. 94.ââ‚¬” Recognition and protection as owners of neighboring rights shall be accorded to performers in respect of their own performances, to reproducers of sound recordings in respect of their own recordings and to radio and television broadcasting organizations in respect of their own broadcasts.
Art. 96 - The performer shall have the following moral rights :
Art. 97.ââ‚¬” (1) The rights provided for in Article 96 may not be the subject of renunciation or alienation.
(2) After the performerââ‚¬â„¢s death, the exercise of the rights provided for in Article 96 shall be transferred by inheritance, in accordance with civil legislation, for an unlimited period of time. If there are no heirs, the exercise of the said rights shall revert to the collective management organization that has managed the performerââ‚¬â„¢s rights or, as the case may be, to the organization having the largest membership, in the field concerned.ââ‚¬Â
Art. 98.ââ‚¬” (1) The performer shall have the exclusive economic right to authorise or prohibit the following:
a) the fixation of his performance;
b) the reproduction of the interpretation of the fixed performance;;
c) the distribution of the fixed performance;
d) the rental of the fixed performance;
e) the lending of the fixed performance;
f) the import for trading on domestic market of the fixed performance;
g) the broadcasting or communication to the public of his interpretation or performance, except the case when the interpretation or performance has already been fixed or broadcasted
h) the making available to the public of his fixed performance in such a way that members of the public may access them from a place and at a time individually chosen by them;
i) cable retransmission of the fixed performance.
Art. 99.ââ‚¬” (1) For the purposes of the present law, the performance of a work is collective when the individual performances form a whole, without being possible, given the nature of performance, for a distinct right to be attributed to any of the participating artists on the ensemble of the performance.
Art. 102.ââ‚¬”(1) Duration of the patrimonial rights of performers shall be of 50 years as from the date of performance. However, if the fixation of the performance throughout such duration makes the object of a lawful publishing or lawful communication to the public, the duration of the rights shall be of 50 years as from the date when whichever of them has taken place for the first time.
Art. 103.ââ‚¬”(1) A sound recording or phonogram, for the purposes of the present law, shall be taken to mean any fixation, exclusively of the sounds originating from the interpretation or the performance of a work or from other sounds, or digital representations of such sounds, other than under the form of a fixation incorporated in a cinematographic work or in any other audiovisual work.
Art. 105.ââ‚¬” (1) Subject to conditions provided for in Art. 92 paragraph (1), the producer of sound recordings shall have the exclusive economic right to authorize and prohibit:
a) the reproduction by any means and in any form of his own sound recordings;
b) the distribution of his own sound recordings;
c) the rental of his own sound recordings;
d) the lending of his own sound recordings;
e) the import for trading on the domestic market, of legally made copies of the work of his own sound recordings.
f) the broadcasting and communication to the public of his own sound recordings, except those published for commercial purpose, case in which he is entitled to an equitable remuneration;
g) the making available to the public of his own sound recordings in such a way that members of the public may access them from a place and at a time individually chosen by them,
h) the cable retransmission of his own sound recordings;
Art. 106.ââ‚¬”(1) Duration of the patrimonial rights of producers of sound recordings shall be of 50 years as from the date of the first fixation. However, if the recording throughout such duration makes the object of a lawful publishing or lawful communication to the public, the duration of the rights shall be of 50 years as from the date when whichever of them has taken place for the first time.
Art. 1061.ââ‚¬” (1) The duration of the economic rights of the producers of audiovisual recordings shall be 50 years from the date of the first fixation. However, if the recording during such duration makes the object of a lawful publishing or lawful public communication, the duration of the rights shall be 50 years from the date when whichever of them has taken place for the first timeââ‚¬Â
Art. 1062.ââ‚¬” In the case of the reproduction and distribution of his own audiovisual recordings, the producer shall be entitled to specify on their physical medium including on covers, boxes and other physical packaging material, in addition to the mentions on the author and performer, the titles of the works, the year of the first publication, the trademark as well as the name and denomination of the producer.
Art. 1063.ââ‚¬”(1) The producer of audiovisual recordings shall have the exclusive economic right to authorize and prohibit:
a) reproduction by any means and in any form, of his own audiovisual recordings;
b) the distribution of his own audiovisual recordings;
c) the rental of his own audiovisual recordings;
d) the lending of his own audiovisual recordings;
e) the import for trading on the domestic market, of his own audiovisual recordings;
f) the broadcasting or communication to the public of his own audiovisual recordings;
g) the making available to the public of his own audiovisual recordings in such a way that members of the public may access them from a place and at a time individually chosen by them,
h) the cable retransmission of his own audiovisual recordings.
Art. 1064.ââ‚¬” (1) The duration of the economic rights of the producers of audiovisual recordings shall be 50 years as of the first of January of the calendar year following that in which the first fixation took place.
Provisions Common to Authors, Performers
and Producers of Sound and Audiovisual Recordings
Art. 1065.ââ‚¬”(1) For direct or indirect use of the phonograms published for commercial purpose or of the reproductions thereof by broadcasting or any way of communication to the public, the performers and producers of phonograms are entitled to single equitable remuneration.
Art. 1066.ââ‚¬” Distribution right is subject to exhaustion upon first sale or first transfer of ownership of the original or of the copies of a sound or audiovisual recording, on domestic market, by the rightholder or with his consent.
Art. 107.ââ‚¬”(1) The authors of works susceptible for being reproduced through sound or audiovisual recordings, on any kind of physical medium, as well as the ones of the works susceptible for being reproduced on paper, directly or indirectly, under the conditions provided for under Art. 34 paragraph (1) shall be entitled, together with the publishers, producers and with the performers, as the case may be, to compensatory remuneration for the private copy, in accordance with Article 34 paragraph (2). The beneficiaries cannot waive the right to compensatory remuneration for the private copy.
(5) In view of initiating the negotiation in accordance with the procedures provided under Article 131 paragraph (2)-(4), the collective management organizations and associations of manufacturers and importers of physical media and devices shall file with the Romanian Copyright Office an application containing the list of the physical media and devices, application that will be published in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I. according to the Romanian Copyright Office general managerââ‚¬â„¢s decision, as well as the quanta of the remunerations that are to be negotiated. The list will be prepared separately for the devices and physical media from the sound and audiovisual fields and for the devices and physical media from the graphical field and they shall be negotiated in two committees.
Art. 1072.ââ‚¬”(1) Compensatory remuneration for private copy collected by the sole collector management organizations is distributed to the beneficiaries as follows:
11) In the case of paper recorded copies, by analogical proceeding, the remuneration shall be devided in equal shares between authors and publishers. The due sums for publishers are distributed only through publishers associations, based on a protocol established between them which include the criteria for distribution as well the shares owed to each association. At distribution protocol negotions shall take part only publishers associations fulfilling the conditions established Romanian Copyright Office general managerââ‚¬â„¢s decision.
Art. 108.ââ‚¬” Compensatory remuneration for private copy shall not be paid where unrecorded video, audio or digital physical media manufactured within the country or imported are traded wholesale to the producers of audiovisual and sound recordings or to television and radio broadcasting organizations for their own broadcasts.
Art. 1111.ââ‚¬”(1) In the case in which an author or performer has transferred or assigned his rental or lending right, regarding a phonogram or a videogram, to a producer of phonograms or audiovisual recordings, he shall retain the right to an equitable remuneration.
Art. 112.ââ‚¬” Provisions regarding the limits of exercising the rights provided for in Art. 33-38 shall be applied accordingly also for the owners of rights related to copyright.
Art. 1121.ââ‚¬” In the case in which the owner of rights benefit, by effect of the law, by a compulsory remuneration, they cannot object to the utilizations that generate it.
The Rights of Television and
Radio Broadcasting Organizations
Art. 113.ââ‚¬”Radio and television broadcasting organizations shall have the exclusive economic right to authorize or to prohibit the following, subject to the authorized personââ‚¬â„¢s obligation to mention the name of the organizations:
Art. 1131.ââ‚¬”(1) For the purposes of the present law, reemission, means the simultaneous emission, by a broadcasting organization, of a program of another broadcasting organization.
Art. 1132.ââ‚¬”(1) Radio and television broadcasting organization have the exclusive right to prevent others from importing copies of their own programs of radio or television broadcasting, made without their authorization and fixed on any kind of physical medium.
Art. 114.ââ‚¬” The duration of the rights provided in the present chapter shall be 50 years, starting from the first of January of the year following that in which the first broadcast of the television or radio broadcasting organizationââ‚¬â„¢s service of programs took place.
Art. 117.ââ‚¬”(1) Television and radio broadcasting organizations whose activity consists in the communication to the public of programs by satellite shall be bound to conduct their activity in a manner that respects the copyright and the neighboring rights protected by this Law.
Art. 118.ââ‚¬”(1) Where the program-carrying signals are sent in encoded form, their incorporation in the chain of communication shall be considered communication to the public if the device for decoding the broadcast is made available to the public by the organization concerned or with its consent.
Art. 119.ââ‚¬”(1) Owners of copyright or neighboring rights may transfer their rights in communication to the public by satellite to a television or radio broadcasting organization only by means of a contract concluded individually or through a collective administration organisation.
Art. 121.ââ‚¬”(1) Owners of copyright or neighboring rights may exercise their rights to authorize or prohibit cable retransmission only through the agency of a collective management organization.
Art. 1211.ââ‚¬”(1) The provisions of Art. 121 paragraph (1) do not apply to the rights exercised by broadcasting organizations in respect of their own broadcasts and services of programs, irrespective of whether the rights concerned are their own or have been assigned to them by other copyright owners or holders of neighboring rights. In this case the exercising of right of retransmission by cable, by a radio or television broadcasting organization is made by contracts concluded with the distributors by cable, except the cases in which the retransmission by cable is mandatory by law.
Art. 1221.ââ‚¬”(1) The provisions of the present chapter concern the legal protection of databases, in any form thereof.
Art. 1222.ââ‚¬”(1) The maker of a database has the exclusive economic right to authorize and prohibit the extraction and/or re-utilization of the entire or of a substantial part of the database, evaluated qualitatively or quantitatively.
Art. 1223.ââ‚¬”(1) The maker of a database which is made available to the public through whatever manner may not prevent a lawful user of the database from extracting or re-utilizing insubstantial parts of its contents, for any purposes of the use whatsoever. Where the lawful user is authorized to extract or re-utilize only part of the database, the provisions of the present paragraph shall apply to that part.
Art. 1224.ââ‚¬”(1) The rights of the maker of database shall run from the date of completion of the making of the database. The term of protection is fifteen years from the first of January of the year following the date of completion of the database.
Art. 123.ââ‚¬” (1) Owners of copyright and neighboring rights may exercise their rights recognized by the present law individually or through collective management organizations, according to the present law.
Art. 1231.ââ‚¬”(1) Collective management is compulsory for the exercising of the following rights:
a) right to compensatory remuneration for private copy;
Art. 1232.ââ‚¬” (1) The following rights may be managed collectively:
Art. 1233.ââ‚¬” The rights recognized in the present chapter, except those provided in Art.1231 and Art.1232, may be managed through collective management organizations, only to the extent of the special mandate granted by the owners of rights.
Art. 1234.ââ‚¬” The existence of collective management organizations shall not prevent the owners of copyright and neighboring rights from having recourse to specialized agents, who may be either natural or legal persons, to represent them in individual negotiations concerning the rights recognized by this law.
Collective Copyright and Neighboring
Rights Administration Organizations
Art. 125.ââ‚¬”(1) The collective management organizations provided for in this chapter shall be established according to law, subject to endorsement from Romanian Copyright Office and shall operate according to regulations on non-profit associations and to provisions of the present law.
Art. 1251.ââ‚¬” Collective management organizations are obliged to communicate to the public, through mass media the following data:
Art. 126.ââ‚¬”(1) The endorsement provided for in Article 125 paragraph (1) shall be given to collective management organizations with headquarters in Romania, which:
(2) The repertoire mentioned in paragraph (1) letter b) shall be lodged under data base system and filled in written and electronic formats, established by general directorââ‚¬â„¢s decision and contains, at least, the authorââ‚¬â„¢s name, the name of the owner of the rights, the title of the work, the identification elements of the performers, of the phonograms or videograms.
Art. 127.ââ‚¬”(1) The statute of the collective management organization shall include provisions on the following:
Art. 129.ââ‚¬”(1) The mandate of collective management of the economic copyrights or neighboring rights shall be given directly by written contract, by the owners of rights.
Functions of Collective
Art. 130.ââ‚¬” (1) Collective management organizations shall have the following obligations:
(2) The representation contracts concluded by the similar organizations from abroad, provided for in paragraph (1) letter d) shall be concluded in writing, mentioning the mode of carrying out of the exchange of information on the partiesââ‚¬â„¢ repertoire, of the rights managed, of the duration and of the payment modalities.
Art. 131.ââ‚¬”(1) With a view to initiating the negotiation procedures, collective management organizations have to file an application with the Romanian Copyright Office, accompanied by the methodologies that are proposed for negotiation, according to the provisions of Art. 130 paragraph (1) letter a).
Art. 1311.ââ‚¬”(1) The methodologies shall be negotiated by the collective management organizations with the representatives provided for in Article 131 paragraph (2) letter b), taking into account the following main criteria:
Art. 1312.ââ‚¬”(1) The negotiation of methodologies takes place according to the schedule established between the parties during 45 calendar days at the most from the date of the establishment of the commission.
(2) The partiesââ‚¬â„¢ agreement regarding the negotiated methodologies is registered in a protocol that is filed with the Romanian Copyright Office. The protocol is published in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I, at the expense of the collective management organizations, by decision of the general director of Romanian Copyright Office issued within five days as of the date of the filing. The methodologies thus published, are opposable to all the users from the field for which it has been negotiated.
Art. 1313.ââ‚¬”(1) Collective management organizations or, as the case may be, the associative structure of users, major users or public radio or television broadcasting organizations may lodge a new application for the initiation of the procedures for the negotiation of the tariffs and methodologies only after three years as of the date of their publication in a final form in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I. The former methodologies remain valid until the publication of the new methodologies.
Art. 133.ââ‚¬”(1) Collection of the amounts owed by the users or by other payers is made by the collective management organization of which repertoire is used.
(6) The amounts collected by the collective management organization, as sole collector, according to the provisions of Art. 1071 paragraph (1), of Art. 121 paragraph (2) and paragraphs (1) and (3) of this Article, shall be registered in different analytical accounts.
Art. 134.ââ‚¬”(1) The exercise of the collective administration entrusted to the organization under the management contract may not in any way restrict the economic rights of the owners.
Art. 1341.ââ‚¬”(1) Collective management organizations have the obligation to publish, in electronic format, on their own web page, the following updated information:
d) the annual report;
e) information on general meeting, for example: date and place of the convening, agenda, drafts of the decision and the adopted decisions;
f) other data necessary to the members for informatory purposes.
e) the employeesââ‚¬â„¢ individual salaries;
Art. 135.ââ‚¬”(1) The collective management organizations have the obligation of filing with the Romanian Copyright Office, in the first quarter of each year, after the general meeting:
a) annual report, endorsed by the general meeting;
b) annual report of the auditing commission, presented to the general meeting;
c) judgments on registration of modifications to the statute, advised by the Romanian Copyright Office;
d) updated repertoire;
e) representation contracts with foreign similar organizations.
Art. 137.ââ‚¬”(1) Romanian Copyright Office operates as specialized body under the subordination of the Government, being the sole regulatory authority, registration by national registries, supervision, authorization, arbitration and technical-scientific establishment in the field of the copyright and neighboring rights.
Art. 138.ââ‚¬” (1) The main duties of the Romanian Copyright Office are as follows:
g) endorses, as specialized body of the central public administration, according to law, the registration with the Registry existing at the court clerkââ‚¬â„¢s office of the court of law, of the associations and foundations established in the copyright and neighboring rights field, including as regards the associations fighting against pirated goods;
(3) In order to fulfill its duties established by law, Romanian Copyright Office has operatively and free of charge access to the information necessary from the National Center of Cinematography, National Office of the Trade Registry, National Customs Authority, National Agency for Fiscal Administration and from the General Inspectorate of the Border Police, National Inspectorate for the Evidence of the Population and the General Direction of Passports within the Ministry of Administration and Interior, as well as from the financial-banking institutions, according to law.ââ‚¬Â
Art. 1381.ââ‚¬” On occasion of the controls made by the Romanian Copyright Office according to the provisions of Art. 138, the controlled person is obliged to present any documents and information requested by the control bodies and to hand over copies thereof, if requested.
Art. 1382.ââ‚¬” (1) The control activity of the Romanian Copyright Office, provided for in Art. 138 paragraph (1) letter h) is carried out only subject to prior notification of the controlled collective management organization, specifying as well the objectives of the control. The Romanian Copyright Office may carry out general controls once a year, notified with 10 days before the carrying out of the control, as well as punctual controls on issues that are the object of complaints, any time necessary, subject to three days prior notification.
Art. 1384.ââ‚¬”(1) Attached to the Romanian Copyright Office, operates a body of arbitrators consisting of 20 members, appointed at each 3 years by the order of the coordinating minister of the Romanian Copyright Office. The appointment of the 20 members is based on draw by the Romanian Copyright Office general manager, in the presence of the candidates proposed by the collective management organizations, by the associative structures of users and by the public radio and television broadcasting organizations. The proposed candidates must have legal training and with a minimum of 10 years of activity in the field of civil law.
Art. 1385.ââ‚¬”(1) The author of a work, performer, producer of phonograms or of audiovisual recordings, radio or television broadcasting organization or the maker of database may institute technological measures of protection of the rights recognized by the present law.
Art. 1386.ââ‚¬”(1) The owners of the rights recognized by the present law may provide, in electronic format, associated to a work or any subject-matter of protection, or in the context of their communication to the public, rights-management information.
Art. 1387.ââ‚¬”(1) Violation of rights acknowledged and guaranteed by the present law shall bring about the civil, contravention or criminal liability, as the case may be, according to law. The procedural provisions shall be those specified in this law, completed with those of the common law.
Art.139.ââ‚¬”(1) The owners of rights acknowledged and guaranteed by the present law may request to the courts or other competent bodies, as the case may be, the acknowledgment of their rights and of the establishment of the infringing thereof, and may claim damages for the redressing of the prejudice caused. The same requests can be lodged on behalf and for the owners of rights by the management organizations, by the associations fighting against piracy or by the persons authorized to use the rights protected by the present law, according to the mandate given for this purpose. When the owner has started an action, the persons authorized to use the rights protected by the present law can intervene in the lawsuit, claiming the remedy of the prejudice caused to them.
(13) The court may order the removal of the measures provided for under paragraphs (3) and (6) upon defendantââ‚¬â„¢s request if the plaintiff has failed to introduce an action that leads to a settlement on the merits of the case within 20 business days or 31 calendar days, if this term is longer, terms calculated as of the date of the measures fulfillment.
d) dissemination of information referring to the courtââ‚¬â„¢s decision, including the posting of the decision as well as the integral or partial publication of it in the mass media at the expense of the offender; under the same conditions the courts may order additional publicity measures adapted to the particular circumstances of the case, including an extensive publicity.
Art. 1391. - (1) The owner of copyright or neighboring rights may be represented, in all the procedures, negotiations and legal acts, for the entire duration and in any stage of the civil or criminal lawsuit or outside such a lawsuit, by attorney with a special power of attorney.
(2) For the beginning of the criminal action, as well as for the withdrawal of the prior complaint and partiesââ‚¬â„¢ reconciliation, the power of attorney is considered special, if it is given for the representation of the owner of copyrights or neighboring rights, in any situation of infringement of his rights.
Art. 1392.ââ‚¬” It shall be a contravention and punishable with a fine from RON 3,000 to RON 30,000 the following deeds:
Art. 1393.ââ‚¬” Repealed
Art. 1394.ââ‚¬”(1) It shall be a contravention, if it is not an offence, and punishable with a fine from RON 10,000 to RON 50,000 and the seizure of the pirated goods or of the pirated devices of control of the access the deed of the legal or natural persons authorized for permitting the access in the spaces, to the equipment, means of transport, goods or own services, with a view to committing, by another person of a contravention or offence provided for by the present law.
Art. 1395.ââ‚¬”(1) Contravention sanctions provided for in Art. 1392 shall also apply to legal persons. Should the contravener, legal person, carrying out activities that involve, according to its object of activity, communication to the public of works or products involving copyright or neighboring rights, the limits of the contravention fines are increased twice.
Art. 1396.ââ‚¬”(1) It shall be an offence and punishable with imprisonment for 2 to 5 years or with a fine the following deeds:
Art. 140.ââ‚¬”(1) It shall be offences and punishable with imprisonment for one month to 2 years or with a fine, the following deeds committed without the authorization or consent of the owners of rights acknowledged by this law:
Art. 1411.ââ‚¬”(1) It shall be an offence and punishable with imprisonment for 2 years to 5 years or a fine, the production, import, distribution, possession, installing, maintaining or replacing illicitly the devices for the control of the access, either original or pirate ones, used for the services of programs with conditioned access.
Art. 142.ââ‚¬” Repealed
Art. 1431.ââ‚¬”(1) The person shall not be punished, who, before to institute of the criminal proceedings, denounces to the competent authorities its participation in an association or agreement with a view to committing one of the offences provided for in Article 1396, thus allowing for the identification and criminal accountability of the other participants.
Art. 144.ââ‚¬” Repealed
Art. 145.ââ‚¬” (1) Establishment of offences provided for in the present law shall be made by the specialized structures of the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police and the General Inspectorate of the Border Police.
Art. 146.ââ‚¬” The following benefit from the protection provided for by this law:
Art. 148.ââ‚¬”(1) For the registration as means of evidence, of the works made in Romania, the National Registry of Works is established, managed by the Romanian Copyright Office. The registration is optional and is made, against payment, according to the methodological norms and tariffs established by Government decision.
(3) The authors and other owners of rights or owners of authorsââ‚¬â„¢ exclusive rights referred to in this law shall have the right to register on the originals or authorized copies of the works a notice of reserved exploitation, signaled according to the usages, rights consisting of a symbol represented by the letter C, in the middle of a circle, accompanied by their name and the place and year of first publication.
Art. 149. - (1) Legal acts concluded under the former legislation shall produce all their effects according to that legislation, with the exception of clauses that provide for the transfer of the utilization rights in any future works that the author might yet create.
Art. 150.ââ‚¬”(1) The equipment, sketches, mock-ups or models, manuscripts and any other objects that serve directly for the making of a work that gives rise to copyright may not be seized in attachment proceedings.
Art. 15^1.ââ‚¬” (1) The European Commission shall be informed regarding the intention for the adoption of certain national provisions for the regulation of certain new neighboring rights, specifying the essential reasons which justify the regulation of such rights, as well as the adequate protection term.
Art. 15^2.ââ‚¬” The present law transposes the provisions of the following Community enactments:
Art. 154.ââ‚¬”(1) This Law shall come into force within 90 days following the date of its publication in the Official Gazette of Romania.