Industrial and Commercial Property (Protection) Act, 1927

PART VI.—COPYRIGHT.

Copyright.

154.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, copyright shall subsist in Saorstát Eireann for the term hereinafter mentioned in every original literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic work, if—

(a) in the case of a published work, the work was first published within Saorstát Eireann; and

(b) in the case of an unpublished work, the author was at the date of the making of the work a citizen of Saorstát Eireann or resident within Saorstát Eireann;

but in no other works, except so far as the protection conferred by this Act is extended by Orders thereunder relating to British dominions and to foreign countries:

Provided that the Governor-General may by Order made on the advice of the Executive Council direct that copyright subsisting in Saorstát Eireann under the provisions of this sub-section, in works the authors of which were at the date of the making of the work citizens of a country named in the Order with which no convention relating to copyright and binding on Saorstát Eireann exists and in respect of which no Order has been made under the provisions of section 175 (which relates to power to extend the benefit of this Part of this Act to works first published in a British dominion or foreign country) of this Act, shall be subject to such conditions or formalities (if any) as may be prescribed by the Order and to such modifications as regards the ownership of the copyright or otherwise as may appear necessary owing to the law of that country.

(2) For the purposes of this Part of this Act, “copyright” means the sole right to produce or reproduce the work or any substantial part thereof in any material form whatsoever, to perform, or in the case of a lecture to deliver, the work or any substantial part thereof in public; if the work is unpublished, to publish the work or any substantial part thereof; and shall include the sole right—

(a) to produce, reproduce, perform, or publish any translation of the work: provided that such right shall as regards translations into the Irish language cease to exist unless the author of the work or his legal representative shall have within a period of ten years from the date of the first publication of the work published or caused to be published in Saorstát Eireann a translation of the work into the Irish language;

(b) in the case of a dramatic work, to convert it into a novel or other non-dramatic work;

(c) in the case of a novel or other non-dramatic work, or of an artistic work, to convert it into a dramatic work, by way of performance in public or otherwise;

(d) in the case of a literary, dramatic, or musical work, to make any record, perforated roll, cinematograph film, or other contrivance by means of which the work may be mechanically performed or delivered,

and to authorise any such acts as aforesaid.

(3) For the purposes of this Part of this Act, publication, in relation to any work, means the issue of copies of the work to the public, and does not include the performance in public of a dramatic or musical work, the delivery in public of a lecture, the exhibition in public of an artistic work, or the construction of an architectural work of art, but, for the purposes of this provision, the issue of photographs and engravings of works of sculpture and architectural works of art shall not be deemed to be publication of such works.

(4) Notwithstanding anything contained in section 174 (which relates to the preservation of existing copyrights) of this Act, paragraph (a) of sub-section (2) of this section shall apply to copyright acquired before the 6th day of December, 1921, as well as to copyright acquired since that date under this Act.