Croatia/ 5.1 General legislation  

5.1.7 Copyright provisions

The Law on Copyright and Related Rights was adopted in November 2003 (amended in 2007) and brought Croatian regulations into line with EU regulations.

The Croatian model follows the droit d'auteur tradition. Both in theoretical deliberations and in legal texts, it follows the continental European tradition on the protection of moral rights which has been incorporated in the text of the new Law passed in 2003.

The Law includes provisions for the "fair use" of copyright material for educational purposes without remuneration. It regulates the use of "private copying" and adequate remuneration through provisions for blank tape levies.

According to Croatian legislation, authors and performers have exclusive rights of public performance while the owners of secondary rights (i.e. phonogram producers) have the right of remuneration for secondary use. The process of negotiations for full membership in the EU may bring some additional changes in the existing legislation as a consequence of the further harmonisation with the acquis communautaire, particularly with regard to the anticipated enforcement of the public lending right provisions.

Associations registered as collective rights management associations are:

• Croatian Composers' Society, Collecting Society (ZAMP-HDS);
• Croatian Performers' Rights Collecting Society (HUZIP);
• Croatian Phonographic Association (HDU);
• Croatian Film Directors Guild (DHFR); and
• Croatian Association of Writers was registered in 2008 as a collective rights management association. This creates conditions for the beginning of negotiations leading to the application of the public lending right (remuneration to authors).