Copyright in the Netherlands is governed by the Dutch Copyright Law (called Auteurswet), copyright (auteursrecht in Dutch) is the exclusive right of the author of a work of literature or artistic work to publish and copy such work.article 1, Dutch Copyright Law
A work of literature or artistic work attracts copyright at its fixation. No formalities, such as copyright registration, are necessary to obtain all the exclusive rights that the Dutch copyright provides. The duration of a copyright is generally 70 years after the death of the author.article 37, Dutch Copyright Law The term "work" includes many materials, such as books, brochures, films, photographs, musical works, works of visual art and geographical maps.article 10, Dutch Copyright Law Furthermore, the Dutch Supreme Court has ruled that to be considered a work, it should have its own, original character with the personal imprint of the author (HR 4 January 1991, NJ 1991, 608(Van Dale/Romme)).Decision in HR 4 January 1991, NJ 1991, 608 (Van Dale/Romme) This threshold of originality has since been superseded by a decision of the European Court of Justice (C-5/08) and is now "The author's own intellectual Creation".
The exclusive right to publish a work includes amongst others the publication of a copy of (part of) the work, the public recitation thereof and to rent or lend (part of) the work to public institutions.article 12, Dutch Copyright Law The exclusive right to duplicate a work includes amongst others the recording, the translation, the music arrangement and the adaptation for the screen of the work.article 13, Dutch Copyright Law
International laws and treaties
Copyright laws differ between countries. However, there are several international treaties concerning copyright that harmonise copyright to a certain extent. The Netherlands is a signature state to among others:
The Berne Convention, 1886 The Universal Copyright Convention, 1952 The WIPO Copyright Treaty, 1996 The WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty, 1996 The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) (which manages the rights concerning trade in intellectual property)
Since the Netherlands is a member state of the European Union all directives and regulations of the European Union apply in the Netherlands. As such copyright in the Netherlands has some specific features over the Copyright law of the European Union
Specific features
Copyright is only granted to creative, original works. The creator of the work must have used some creativity or a certain creative decision must have been made. Creativity is a relative term, however, as this is a legal, not aesthetic, standard. Copyright is granted automatically, without any (registration) formality, in the Netherlands, as it is in any other country that is party to the Berne Convention. This means that it is not necessary to include copyright indicators such as "copyright 2006". In fact, the word "copyright" has no legal meaning in the Netherlands. A copyright lasts for a finite amount of time. Specifically, 70 years after the death of the author. When a copyright expires, the work becomes part of the public domain. An author also can prematurely renounce a copyright. Neither the expertise of the author, nor the quality of the creation itself is a relevant factor in determining whether a creation is a work or not. An underexposed, badly composed picture of the Eiffel Tower can be just as copyright-protected as a two-meter-tall print of a perfect photograph of the same tower by a professional photographer, provided that the legal requirements of a work are met. Dutch laws, rulings and regulations are not copyright-protected. This means that they can be used at all times by anyone for any purpose (article 11). However, some publishers of legal texts and court rulings may claim auteursrecht with regard to the form or order in which they are presented. The Auteurswet allows for citaatrecht (quotation right).article 15a, Dutch Copyright Law This allows the use of (parts of) a work under a limitative set of conditions. Quotation rights appear to be more limited and demarcated than the concept of fair use. A (portrait right) regards rights of the person portrayed in a portrait that is not made on behalf of that person, in contrast to an auteursrecht which grants rights to the creator of a work. An example is the publication of someone's picture in a magazine. The person portrayed can oppose such publication to the extent he or she has a reasonable interest in doing so.article 21, Dutch Copyright Law A copyright can be transferred or licensed. A license is a permission of the author to use the work as agreed upon by the author and the licensee. In order to be valid, a transfer of the auteursrecht should be in writing.article 2, Dutch Copyright Law An author can transfer a copyright to someone else using securitisatie, at which point the author receives the current value of future copyright revenues at the time of public presentation. Copyright, like the French idea of "droits d'auteur", also includes moral rights. This includes the right of the author to oppose the publication of the work without stating him as the author and any modifications or malformations to the work. The author can only partly waive his moral rights,article 25, Dutch Copyright Law meaning that the author retains certain rights, even if the copyright is transferred or renounced. Copyright infringement is governed not only by civil law, but also by criminal law.articles 26-36c, Dutch Copyright Law Marks and inventions are primarily governed by trademark rights and patents, respectively.
Limitations and exceptions to Dutch copyright Limitations and exceptions to copyright are harmonised in the 2001 Information Society Directive of the European Union. This directive allows 21 specific limitations or exceptions. Of this list only temporary acts of reproductions is a mandatory exception to copyright within the European Union. The Netherlands has adopted 17 of these limitations and exceptions:Based on research published on copyrightexceptions.eu: http://copyrightexceptions.eu/project/Netherlands. Temporary acts of reproductionAdopted from art. 5.1 Information Society Directive. Implemented in article 13(a) of the Dutch Copyright Law. Photocopying/photo-reproductionAdopted from art. 5.2(a) Information Society Directive. Implemented in articles 16(b), 16(h)-16-(m) of the Dutch Copyright Law. See also the 'Repro-besluit'. Private copyingAdopted from art. 5.2(b) Information Society Directive. Implemented in article 16(b)(1), 16(c)-16(GA) of the Dutch Copyright Law. See also 'besluit thuiskopie'. Reproductions by Libraries, Archives & MuseumsAdopted from art. 5.2(c) Information Society Directive. Partly implemented in articles 16(b), 16h-16m, 16n of the Dutch Copyright Law. See also http://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0014339/2009-03-10 Reproductions by Libraries, Archives & Museums is a more narrow implementation of the art.5 (c) of the InfoSoc directive. Ephemeral recordings made by broadcastersAdopted from art. 5.2(d) Information Society Directive. Implemented in article 17(b) of the Dutch Copyright Law. Illustration for teaching or scientific researchAdopted from art. 5.3(a) Information Society Directive. Implemented in articles 12(5), Article 16, Articles 16h-16m of the Dutch Copyright Law. Article 16 includes digital copies and requires a reasonable remuneration to the rights holders of the work. Additional rules can be found in the 'Besluit reprografisch verveelvoudigen'. Use for the benefit of people with a disabilityAdopted from art. 5.3(b) Information Society Directive. Implemented in article 15(i) of the Dutch Copyright Law. Reporting by the press on current eventsAdopted from art. 5.3(c) Information Society Directive. Implemented in articles 15, 16(a) of the Dutch Copyright Law. article 15(2) broadens art. 5.3(c) of the InfoSoc Directive by also the translation of articles from other languages. Quotation for criticism or reviewAdopted from art. 5.3(d) Information Society Directive. Implemented in article 15(a) of the Dutch Copyright Law. Use for public security purposesAdopted from art. 5.3(e) Information Society Directive. Implemented in article 22 of the Dutch Copyright Law. Use of public speeches and public lecturesAdopted from art. 5.3(f) Information Society Directive. Implemented in article 15(b) of the Dutch Copyright Law. Article 15b is much broader and older than art 5.3(f) of the Directive. It includes all types of works that attract copyright made by public authorities unless explicitly reserved. Use during religious or official celebrationsAdopted from art. 5.3(g) Information Society Directive. Partly implemented in article 17(c), 15(b) of the Dutch Copyright Law. Implementation of this exception is somewhat narrower, it only applies to church services (eredienst). Exception is also covered under 15b, which is a broad exception for all government produced works where copyrights are not explicitly reserved. Use of works of architecture or sculptures in public spacesAdopted from art. 5.3(h) Information Society Directive. Partly Implemented in article 18 of the Dutch Copyright Law. Implementation is more narrow in comparison to art.5.3(h) of the InfoSoc Directive. Article 18 includes a limited list of applicable works and does not allow derivative works, the works of art needs to be presented in the context where the object is found (zoals het zich aldaar bevindt). Incidental inclusionAdopted from art. 5.3(i) Information Society Directive. Partly implemented in article 18(a) of the Dutch Copyright Law. Use for advertising the exhibition or sale of works of artAdopted from art. 5.3(j) Information Society Directive. Implemented in article 23 of the Dutch Copyright Law. Article 18a does not include incidental works, but works of subordinate importance. This exceptions is applicable unless otherwise agreed. Use for the purpose of caricature, parody or pasticheAdopted from art. 5.3(k) Information Society Directive. Partly implemented in article 18(b) of the Dutch Copyright Law. Use for the purpose of research or private studyAdopted from art. 5.3(n) Information Society Directive. Implemented in article 15(h) of the Dutch Copyright Law.
Pre-existing exceptions and limitations The Information Society Directive also allows for pre-existing limitations and exceptions that existed in national legislation prior to the adoption of the directive.Allowed by art. 5.3(o) Information Society Directive. Implemented in article 15(b), 17(a), and 17(b) of the Dutch Copyright Law. The Netherlands has four further notable limitations and exceptions to copyright: The further communication to the public or reproduction of a literary, scientific or artistic work communicated to the public by or on behalf of the public authorities shall not be deemed an infringement of the copyright in such a work, unless the copyright has been explicitly reserved, either in a general manner by law, decree or ordinance, or in a specific case by a notice on the work itself or at the communication to the public.Article 15(b) of the Dutch Copyright Law. Even if no such reservation has been made, the author shall retain the exclusive right to have appear, in the form of a collection, his works which have been communicated to the public by or on behalf of the public authorities.