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Copyright
Thirty questions and answers on the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act 2000 - what copyright protects, the economic and moral rights, how long they last, who owns them, the free uses the Act allows, the rights of performers, producers and broadcasters, enforcement, and the protection of expressions of folklore.
Copyright arises automatically, by the sole fact of creation. There is no register and no application. In Papua New Guinea it is governed by the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act 2000, which protects literary and artistic works and derivative works, gives their authors a set of exclusive economic rights and a set of moral rights, and separately protects the performers, sound recording producers and broadcasting organisations whose work carries those creations to the public. The Act also does something most copyright statutes do not: it protects expressions of folklore - the group-oriented, tradition-based creations that reflect a community's cultural and social identity.
Jump to a subject
6 questions and answers, grouped by subject.
- What copyright is — 2 questions
- The rights of an author — 1 question
- What you may do without permission — 1 question
- Enforcing copyright — 2 questions
What copyright is
What the Act protects, what it does not, derivative works and collections, and which works and people the Act applies to.
What Is Copyright in PNG?
An introduction to the PNG Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act 2000: what copyright is, the key definitions in section 2, and which works, performances, recordings and broadcasts the Act applies to.
Read the answer → No. 3What Is Not Protected by Copyright?
Section 5 of the PNG Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act 2000: the idea-expression distinction, mere data, and the exclusion of official legal texts.
Read the answer →The rights of an author
The exclusive economic rights, moral rights, how long copyright lasts, who owns it, the presumption of authorship, and assignment and licensing.
What you may do without permission
Private copies, temporary reproductions, quotations, teaching, libraries, news reporting, computer programs, personal imports and public display.
Enforcing copyright
Injunctions and impounding, damages and destruction orders, the criminal offence, and the rules against circumvention devices and tampering with rights management information.
What Can I Claim for Copyright Infringement?
Section 27 of the PNG Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act 2000: damages, the innocent infringer limit, destruction of copies and implements, the good faith purchaser protection, and cease orders.
Read the answer → No. 26Is Copyright Infringement a Crime?
Section 28 of the PNG Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act 2000: the criminal offence, its mental and purpose elements, the penalty, and the application of civil remedies in criminal proceedings.
Read the answer →Acts are amended, and figures and time limits change. Every article names the sections it relies on so you can read them. If a decision matters to you, get advice — start with the Office of the Public Solicitor, or find a firm in the law firms directory.