Armenia 4.1.6

Implementation and preservation of copyright provisions are ongoing in the Republic of Armenia. The formation of the newly independent Armenia gave rise to new institutes in the field of intellectual property, particularly in the copyright sphere, along with the necessity for compliance with international legal acts. In the sphere of video-audio production, piracy is a major issue. The Law on Copyright and Related Rights and the Civil Code regulate the issues of intellectual property and copyright, including copyright relating to works of literature, science and the arts. The Law on Copyright and Related Rights was adopted on 15 January 2006. The main goal of the Law is to define copyright works and subjects, to regulate more productively legal interrelations, and to ensure guarantees for the implementation of provisions in the Law. Particularly, the works’ list in the cultural sphere was filled up and developed, including new directions connected with the use of information technologies (calligraphy, electronic cultural products and so on). Recently, there was a dispute with regard to the preservation of copyright and related rights for computer typefaces, involving the creators, publishers and designers, the organisations acting in the IT sector and representatives of scientific organisations, as well as the Armenian representative of Microsoft. More efficient mechanisms for the use of documents in the legislative field were proposed, as well as standardisation and authorisation issues. The Armenian Copyright Law is based on the European model, though it has specific local approaches. There are policies for “fair use” of copyright material, particularly for educational purposes, which is reflected in the Law.