Commons:Copyright rules by territory/Armenia

Copyright rules: Armenia Shortcut: COM:ARMENIA
Durations
Standard	Life + 70 years
Anonymous	Publish + 70 years
Audiovisual	Life + 70 years
Collective	Publish + 70 years
Government	Public domain
Other
Freedom of panorama	Yes
Terms run to year end	Yes
Common licence tags	{{PD-Armenia}} {{PD-AM-exempt}}
ISO 3166-1 alpha-3	ARM
Treaties
Berne convention	19 October 2000
WTO member	5 February 2003
URAA restoration date‌*	10 October 2000
WIPO treaty	6 March 2005
*‌A work is usually protected in the US if it is a type of work copyrightable in the US, published after 31 December 1928 and protected in the country of origin on the URAA date.

This page provides an overview of copyright rules of Armenia relevant to uploading works into Wikimedia Commons. Note that any work originating in Armenia must be in the public domain, or available under a free license, in both Armenia and the United States before it can be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons. If there is any doubt about the copyright status of a work from Armenia, refer to the relevant laws for clarification.

Background

By the 19th century Armenia was divided between the Russian and Ottoman empires. The first Republic of Armenia was formed in 1918, and in 1920 became part of the Transcaucasian state, which in 1922 joined the Soviet Union. In 1936 Armenia became a separate republic within the USSR. Armenia regained independence in 1991 when the Soviet Union was dissolved.

Armenia has been a member of the Berne Convention since 19 October 2000, the World Trade Organization since 5 February 2003 and the WIPO treaty since 6 March 2005.

As of 2018 the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), an agency of the United Nations, listed the Law of the Republic of Armenia of June 15, 2006, on Copyright and Related Rights (as amended on September 30, 2013) as the main IP law enacted by the legislature of Armenia. WIPO holds the text of this law in their WIPO Lex database. Wikisource holds the original text as of 2006. The Armenian government provides slightly more recent Armenian and Russian versions.

The 2006 law repealed the Law of the Republic of Armenia of December 8, 1999, on Copyright and Neighboring Rights. WIPO also holds the text of this law.

General rules

According to the Copyright law of 1999, the duration of copyright was 50 years after the death of the author and 50 years after publication for anonymous work.^{[1999 Article 26]}

Under the 2006 Law on Copyright and Related Rights (as amended on September 30, 2013) durations were prolonged to 70 years after death or publication.^{[2013 Article 37]} The new law restored copyright to works whose protection had expired under the previous law but which qualified for protection under the new law.^{[2013 Article 72]} Under the 2013 version of the law,

• The property rights of the author are valid throughout the life of the author and continue to operate 70 years after his death.^{[2013 Article 37.1]}
• Property rights to a work created in co-authorship are valid throughout the life of the co-authors and continue to operate 70 years after the death of the last of the co-authors.^{[2013 Article 37.2]}
• In the case of works under a pseudonym or anonymous works, the author’s property rights arise from the moment when the work becomes lawfully accessible to the public and is in effect for 70 years.^{[2013 Article 37.3]}
• The term of validity of property rights to a collective work arise from the moment when the work becomes lawfully accessible to the public and is in effect for 70 years.^{[2013 Article 37.4]}
• Property rights to audiovisual works are 70 years after the death of the last of the co-authors (director, scriptwriter, author of the dialogue, author of music written specifically for this work, cameraman).^{[2013 Article 37.6]}
• The dates established by this article shall be calculated from the first of January of the year following the corresponding specified event.^{[2013 Article 37.8]}

Not protected

Shortcut

• COM:NOP Armenia

See also: Commons:Unprotected works

• The following works not subject to copyright: a) works of folklore and folk art; b) information about the news of the day or current events and facts; c) official documents - legal acts, contracts and their official translations; d) state symbols and signs (flags, emblems, orders, bank notes and so on); e) political speeches, speeches made during the trial; f) results obtained by technical means without human creative activity.^{[2013 Article 4.1]}
• Copyright does not apply to scientific discoveries, ideas, principles, methods, procedures, concepts, systems, processes, scientific theories, mathematical formulas, statistical diagrams, rules of the game, even if they are expressed, described, disclosed, covered in works.^{[2013 Article 4.2]}

Copyright tags

Shortcut

• COM:TAG Armenia

See also: Commons:Copyright tags

• {{PD-Armenia}} – for anonymous works or pseudonymous works 70 years after creation, other works 70 years after the death of the (last-surviving) author, "expressions of traditional folklore and art" or "political speeches, speeches delivered in the court," or "official documents, legal acts, treaties and the official translations thereof, state emblems and signs (flags, coats of arms, medals, monetary signs)."
• {{PD-AM-exempt}} – for works of folklore; communications on daily news or on current events that are press information; official documents (laws, decisions, decrees, etc.) as well as their official translations; state emblems and signs (flags, coats of arm (armorial bearings), medals (decorations), monetary signs, etc.); results obtained by technical means without the intervention of human creative activity.
• {{President.am}} - for works from president.am

Currency

Shortcut

• COM:CUR Armenia

See also: Commons:Currency

OK Armenian currency is not copyrighted. Monetary items, together with other state symbols, are explicitly excluded from copyright by the 2013 version of the copyright law of Armenia.^{[2013 Article 4.1(d)]}

Please use {{PD-AM-exempt}} for Armenian currency images.

Freedom of panorama

Shortcut

• COM:FOP Armenia

See also: Commons:Freedom of panorama

• OK for sculptures: {{FoP-Armenia}}
• OK for buildings and models of buildings: {{FoP-Armenia}}
• OK for other art works (paintings, graphics, design and other works of fine arts, works of applied decorative art and stage graphics. maps, plans, sketches and plastic works related to geography, topography, geology, urban planning, architecture and other sciences.{{FoP-Armenia}}

The version of the copyright law provided by WIPO states, "It is allowed to reproduce, broadcast for non-commercial purposes an architectural, photographic or fine art work located in places open to the public without the consent of the author and the payment of author's remuneration".^{[2013 Article 25(d)]} However, an amendment effective late April 2013 removed the restriction on commercial use, and says, "Works which are located on streets, parks, squares and other places open for attendance can be reproduced and broadcasted, and reproduced copies can be distributed, including through internet, without permission of the author and without payment to the author, in any tangible medium and by any means and in any form".^{[2013 Article 25(d) amended]}.

Stamps

See also: Commons:Stamps

use {{PD-AM-exempt}}.

Stamps appear to qualify as "state symbols and signs", which are not subject to copyright under the 2013 version of the copyright law [2013 Article 4.1(d)]. The Law HO-46-N of December 14, 2004 On Postal Communication, amended in 2023, states that postal stamps are "state postal payment symbols".

See also

• Հայաստան
• Category:Armenian FOP cases
• Category:License tags of Armenia
• Commons:Copyright rules by territory/Azerbaijan
• Commons:Copyright rules by territory/Soviet Union

Citations

Caution: The above description may be inaccurate, incomplete and/or out of date, so must be treated with caution. Before you upload a file to Wikimedia Commons you should ensure it may be used freely. See also: Commons:General disclaimer