Swiss copyright law
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200095298
2008-03-22T16:28:24Z
D6
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upd. [[Nationalrat|lk]] to [[National Council of Switzerland]]
The '''[[copyright]] law of [[Switzerland]]''' is based on the concept of "author's rights" (''Urheberrecht'' in [[German language|German]], ''droit d'auteur'' in [[French language|French]]), which is similar to the [[French copyright law]], instead of the concept of [[Copyright]] used in
[[common law]] jurisdictions. The current copyright law of Switzerland is the ''Swiss Federal Copyright Act of 1992'', which dates from [[October 9]] [[1992]] and has only seen minor revisions since then. In October 2007, a revision was approved in order to implement the [[World Intellectual Property Organization Copyright Treaty|WIPO Copyright Treaty]] in the act, a process started in 2004 with the release by the [[Swiss Federal Council]] of a draft project.<ref> See the [http://www.ipi.ch/E/jurinfo/j103.shtm Legal information] page at the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property.</ref>
Copyrights in Swiss law last for 70 years after the death of the author (50 years after the death of the author for computer programs). All "works" in the sense of the law, i.e. "creations of the mind, literary or artistic, that have an individual character"<ref name="URG.2.1">[http://www.admin.ch/ch/d/sr/231_1/a2.html Art. 2 par. 1 URG].</ref> are automatically protected by copyright, irrespective of whether copyright is asserted or not, but provided that it passes the [[threshold of originality]] necessary to constitute a protected work. In the case of photographs, the level of protection has been defined in two decisions of the [[Swiss Federal Supreme Court]], the “[[Bob Marley]]” case (2003) and the “[[Christoph Meili|Meili]]” case (2004).<ref>See the list of authorities ''supra'' for citations.</ref>
Certain documents are specifically excluded from benefiting from copyright protection in Switzerland; they are mostly official documents, such as [[law]]s or [[Local ordinance|ordinance]]s, or pieces of [[currency]], but [[patent]]s or [[patent application]]s are also excluded from protection. These exceptions are covered in detail below.
== History ==
Although first theoretic publications about copyright in Switzerland date back to 1738,<ref name="rehbinder_32">Rehbinder, p. 32; mentioning the dissertation of Johann Rudolf Thurneisen, ''Dissertatio juridica inauguralis de recursione librorum furtiva, zu Teutsch dem unerlaubten Büchernachdruck'', Basel, 1738. Thurneisen already suggested an international treaty by which countries should protect each others copyrights based on reciprocity.</ref> the topic remained unregulated by law until the 19th century. The first copyright legislation in Switzerland was introduced during the times of the French occupation in the [[Switzerland in the Napoleonic era|Napoleonic era]]. Geneva, which joined the Swiss Confederacy in 1815, kept the French legislation (a law that dated to 1793) and thus became the first [[canton]] to have a copyright law. The first copyright law developed locally in Switzerland was that of the canton of [[Ticino]], which became effective on [[March 20]], [[1835]].<ref name="rehbinder_32a">Rehbinder, p. 32.</ref> In the canton of [[Solothurn]], a copyright law entered in force in 1847.
The first constitution of Switzerland of 1848 left copyright issues to the cantons;<ref name="rehbinder_40">Rehbinder, p. 40.</ref> only in the revised constitution of 1874 did copyright become an issue of federal legislation.<ref name="rehbinder_41">Rehbinder, p. 41.</ref> The first federal copyright law in Switzerland was passed by the Swiss parliament on [[April 23]], [[1883]] and entered in force on [[January 1]], [[1884]].<ref name="urg1883_dates">Chancellory of the Swiss Confederation: ''[http://www.admin.ch/ch/d/pore/vr/vor_2_2_6_1_1874.html Übersicht fakultative Referenden 1874 - 1900]''. URL last accessed [[2007-08-17]].</ref> Two years later, Switzerland was a founding member of the [[Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works]], which became effective on [[December 5]], [[1887]].<ref name="bc_date">[[WIPO]]: ''[http://www.wipo.int/treaties/en/Remarks.jsp?cnty_id=1033C Treaties Database - Contracting Parties: Berne Convention - Switzerland]''. URL last accessed [[2007-08-17]].</ref> <!-- What was the copyright term?? What kinds of works were covered? -->
A first revision of the law occurred in 1922. The new law was passed by parliament on [[December 7]], [[1922]] and entered in force on [[July 1]], [[1923]]. It extended the duration of copyright to 30 years after the (last surviving) author's death (30 years ''[[post mortem auctoris|p.m.a]]''). This extension was retroactive (§62 of the 1922 law) and even placed works under copyright again if the copyright granted under the previous law had already expired. Anonymous or pseudonymous works were copyrighted for 30 years since they had been made known to the public, unless the author's identity was acknowledged within that time, in which case 30 years ''p.m.a.'' applied again. Works that became known to the public only after the death of the author were copyrighted until the shorter of 50 years after the death of the author or 30 years since they became known. The law covered works of the literature and the arts, including scientific works, maps, and photographs.<ref name="urg_1922_txt">[[:Image:Swiss Copyright Law of 1922.pdf|Swiss Federal Law of December 7, 1922 on ''Urheberrecht an Werken der Literatur und Kunst'']]; BBl 1922 III 960.</ref>
In 1955, a revision of the 1922 law extended the copyright term from 30 to 50 years. This extension was ''not'' retroactive and applied only to works that were still copyrighted in 1955.
Already three years later, work on an omnibus revision of the law was begun, but it took more than 30 years to complete this project until in 1992 a new copyright law was passed. It entered in force on [[July 1]], [[1993]] and extended the copyright term again non-retroactively to 70 years.<ref name="bloch">''Bloch''.</ref>
In 2004, another revision of the Swiss copyright law was begun with the goal of making the law compliant with the [[WIPO Copyright Treaty]] (WCT) and the [[WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty]] (WPPT).<ref name="2004_rev">Institut für geistiges Eigentum (IGE, Swiss Copyright Office): ''[http://www.ige.ch/D/jurinfo/j103.shtm ''Urheberrecht'']. URL last accessed [[2007-08-17]].</ref> It was finally approved by both chambers of the [[Swiss parliament]] on [[October 5]], [[2007]]. At the same time, the parliament also ratified the Swiss adherence to the WCT and the WPPT.<ref name="revision">Proceedings of the Swiss parliament: [http://www.parlament.ch/ab/frameset/d/s/4718/257083/d_s_4718_257083_257097.htm Final vote] of the ''[[Ständerat]]''; [http://www.parlament.ch/ab/frameset/d/n/4718/257113/d_n_4718_257113_257250.htm Final vote] of the ''[[National Council of Switzerland|Nationalrat]]''; ''[http://www.parlament.ch/se-schlussabstimmung-06-031-2.pdf Bundesbeschluss über die Genehmigung von zwei Abkommen der Weltorganisation für geistiges Eigentum und über die Änderung des Urheberrechtsgesetzes ]'' (Text of the decree ratifying the WCT and the WPPT; in German); ''[http://www.parlament.ch/se-schlussabstimmung-06-031-1.pdf Änderung des Bundesgesetzes über das Urheberrecht und verwandte Schutzrechte]'' (Text of the changes to the 1992 copyright law; in German). URLs last accessed [[2007-10-09]].</ref>
== Duration of protection ==
Copyright protection for most protected works expires 70 years after the death of the author under Swiss law, the only exception being
computer programs, which are protected for 50 years after the death of the author.<ref>[http://www.admin.ch/ch/d/sr/231_1/a29.html Art. 29 URG/LDA par. 2]</ref> The protection also expires if the death must be assumed.<ref>''Ibid'', [http://www.admin.ch/ch/d/sr/231_1/a29.html par. 3].</ref> The date of death of the last author is relevant in cases of [[coauthorship]], unless the contributions are separable.<ref>[http://www.admin.ch/ch/d/sr/231_1/a30.html Art. 30 URG/LDA].</ref> The 50 or 70 years of protection are counted starting at the end of the year when the author (or last author) died.<ref>[http://www.admin.ch/ch/d/sr/231_1/a32.html Art. 32 URG/LDA].</ref> Works of unknown authors enter the public domain 70 years after the date of publication (even if the author is identified once the protection has ended).<ref>[http://www.admin.ch/ch/d/sr/231_1/a31.html Art. 31 URG/LDA].</ref>
Swiss law also protects performers' rights; the duration of protection is 50 years, starting from the end of the year when the work was performed.<ref>[http://www.admin.ch/ch/d/sr/231_1/a31.html Art. 39 URG/LDA].</ref>
As a result of the non-retroactive revision of 1992, when the 50-year copyright term was extended to 70 years, works that were already in the public domain in [[1993]], when the new law started being applied, do not benefit from renewed protection; therefore, all works made by authors deceased in [[1942]] or before are in the public domain in Switzerland.<ref name="bloch"/>
== Official documents ==
The following are ineligible for copyright by law:<ref>[http://www.admin.ch/ch/d/sr/231_1/a5.html Art. 5 URG/LDA].</ref>
* [[law]]s, [[decree]]s, international [[treaty|treaties]] or other official acts
* [[case law|decision]]s, [[protocol]]s or reports by public authorities
* pieces of [[currency]]
* [[patent]]s or [[patent application]]s
It follows that photographs taken from or of these documents are also in the public domain. However:
* a photograph ''of'' an official document may constitute a protected work of its own if the photograph is sufficiently original (see below);
* a photograph taken ''from'' an official document may have been copyrighted by someone other than the state and been reproduced with permission in the official document.
== Lack of originality ==
Only "works" in the sense of the law, i.e. "creations of the mind, literary or artistic, that have an individual character",<ref name="URG.2.1">[http://www.admin.ch/ch/d/sr/231_1/a2.html Art. 2 par. 1 URG].</ref> are protected by copyright. What exactly ''individuality'' (also referred to as [[originality]]) means for photographs has long been a focus of dispute.
[[Image:Bob Marley copyrighted.jpg|thumb|'''Copyrighted:''' Photograph of singer [[Bob Marley]].<ref>Reproduced here under U.S. [[fair use]] rules (click on the image for details) or, alternatively, under the citation right provided by Swiss law ([http://www.admin.ch/ch/d/sr/231_1/a25.html Art. 25 par. 1 URG]). ''Source:'' [http://www.acclaimposters.com/_gallery/Music_Posters_and_Prints/10077023.html acclaimposters.com].</ref>]]
In its 2003 ''Marley'' decision, the Federal Supreme Court found that the picture at issue (shot by a spectator with a handheld camera) had the required individual character by virtue of the aesthetic appeal of the picture, combined with the orientation of the picture's components and the distribution of light and shadow. It also found that it was a "creation of the mind" by being shot at a specific time during the singer's movement on the stage.<ref>''Marley'', p. 175.</ref> Accordingly, the Court held that the picture was protected by copyright.
[[Image:Christoph Meili 1997.jpg|thumb|'''Not copyrighted''' in Switzerland: Photograph of bank guard [[Christoph Meili]].]]
In its 2004 ''Meili'' decision, the Court found that the picture at issue, shot by a reporter to document [[Christoph Meili]] with the files he had taken from his employer, lacked individual character. It found that the scope of conceptual and technical possibilities was not exploited, and that the photograph did not distinguish itself in any way from what was common use.<ref>''Meili'', p. 720.</ref> For lack of an ''individual expression of thought'',<ref>''Ibid'', p. 717.</ref> therefore, the Court held that the image was not copyrighted.
Legal scholarship has attempted to summarise the Federal Supreme Court's jurisprudence on the threshold of originality as follows:<ref>The following is adapted from ''Wild'', p. 92 et seq.</ref>
* Images where only the object, but not the photograph, is individual are not protected, as e.g. in art catalogue photographs. Of course, the copyright status of the object depicted, e.g. a [[painting]], must be considered independently.
* "Merely" illustrative and [[portrait]] images also tend not to be protected, at least if the [[Composition (visual arts)|composition ]], [[post-processing]] etc. show no individual expression of thought.
* Images are not protected ''per se'' because their object is famous or they attract great attention (e.g. the [[Zapruder]] pictures of the [[John F. Kennedy assassination|Kennedy assassination]]). On the other hand, an image can be a "[[Snapshot (photography)|snapshot]]" and still be protected as an individual work.
* The impression is given that the mere ''[[aesthetics|aesthetic appeal]]'' of a photograph may contribute to its originality.
== See also ==
* [[Bridgeman Art Library v. Corel Corp.]] for the equivalent leading case in U.S. law.
==Notes and references ==
===Authorities===
* '''Bloch''': ''Neue Schauspiel AG gegen Felix Bloch Erben'', decision of the [[Swiss Federal Supreme Court]] of [[13 January]] [[1998]]; [http://relevancy.bger.ch/php/clir/http/index.php?lang=de&type=highlight_simple_query&highlight_docid=atf%3A%2F%2F124-III-266%3Ade BGE 124 III 266].
* '''Marley''': ''X. gegen Y. AG'', decision of the Swiss Federal Supreme Court of [[September 5]] 2003; [http://relevancy.bger.ch/php/clir/http/index.php?lang=de&type=highlight_simple_query&highlight_docid=atf%3A%2F%2F130-III-168%3Ade BGE 130 III 168].
* '''Meili''': ''Blau Guggenheim gegen British Broadcasting Corporation BBC'', decision of the Swiss Federal Supreme Court of [[April 19]] 2004; [http://relevancy.bger.ch/php/clir/http/index.php?lang=de&type=highlight_simple_query&highlight_docid=atf%3A%2F%2F130-III-714%3Ade BGE 130 III 714].
* '''URG/LDA''': Swiss Federal Copyright Act of 1992, ref. 231.1 (''[http://www.admin.ch/ch/d/sr/c231_1.html Urheberrechtsgesetz, URG ]'' (German), ''[http://www.admin.ch/ch/f/rs/c231_1.html Loi sur le droit d’auteur, LDA]'' (French), ''[http://www.admin.ch/ch/i/rs/c231_1.html Legge sul diritto d’autore, LDA]'' (Italian))
===Literature===
====Copyright law in general====
* Barrelet, D.; Egloff, W.: ''Das neue Urheberrecht'', 2nd ed. Stämpfli Verlag, Berne, 2000. ISBN 3-7272-9155-9.
* von Büren, R.: ''Urheberrecht und verwandte Schutzrechte'', in: Pedrazzini, Mario M.; von Büren, Roland; Marbach, Eugen: ''Immaterialgüter- und Wettbewerbsrecht'', Stämpfli Verlag AG, Bern 1998, ISBN 3-7272-0913-5, p. 59 et seq.
* Rehbinder, M.: ''Schweizerisches Urheberrecht'', 3rd ed. Stämpfli Verlag, Berne, 2000. ISBN 3-7272-0923-2. In German.
====Copyright protection of photographs====
* Friedli, Lukas: ''[http://www.weblaw.ch/jusletter/artikel.asp?ArticleNr=4664&Language=1 Gibt es das Bildzitat im schweizerischen URG?]'', in: Jusletter 24. April 2006
* Hug, Gitti: ''[http://www.altenburger.ch/pdf/new_13042005.pdf Bob Marley vs Christoph Meili. Ein Schnappschuss.]'' In: ''Sic! Zeitschrift für Immaterialgüter-, Informations- und Wettbewerbsrecht'' 1/2005. Schulthess, pp. 57–65; {{ISSN|1422-2019}}.
* Schütz, Christoph: ''Fotografie und Urheberrecht: Ein Sorgenkind im Wettstreit der Therapeuten'', in: ''Sic! Zeitschrift für Immaterialgüter-, Informations- und Wettbewerbsrecht'' 5/2006. Schulthess, pp. 36-75; {{ISSN|1422-2019}}.
* Wild, Gregor: ''Urheberrechtsschutz der Fotografie'', in: ''Sic! Zeitschrift für Immaterialgüter-, Informations- und Wettbewerbsrecht'' 2/2005. Schulthess, pp. 87–95; {{ISSN|1422-2019}}.
===Notes===
{{reflist|2}}
===External links===
* [http://www.ipi.ch/E/jurinfo/j103.shtm Latest updates] about the Swiss Copyright Law, on the website of the [http://www.ipi.ch/E/institut/i1.shtm Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property].
* [http://www.swiss-copyright.ch/E/ Swiss-Copyright], official website about the revision of the Swiss copyright law.
* [http://www.fotografie-urheberrecht.ch/index.html Fotografie-Urheberrecht] (in [[German language|German]]), [http://www.fotografie-urheberrecht.ch/f/index.html Droit d'auteur de photographie] (in [[French language|French]]): website about copyright protection of photographs in Switzerland.
*[http://www.copyright.ch Copyright, Patent, Trademark Information, Switzerland and International] (german | english)
[[Category:Copyright law by country|Swiss copyright law]]
[[Category:Swiss law]]
[[de:Urheberrechtsgesetz (Schweiz)]]