Commons:Copyright rules by territory/British Virgin Islands
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Copyright rules: British Virgin Islands Shortcut: COM:BVI | |
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| Durations | |
|---|---|
| Standard | Life + 50 years |
| Photograph | Publish + 50 years |
| Anonymous | Publish + 50 years |
| Other | |
| Freedom of panorama | For architecture, sculptures, and works of artistic craftsmanship |
| Terms run to year end | Yes |
| Common licence tags | {{PD-old-auto}} |
| ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 | VGB |
| Treaties | |
| Berne convention | 5 December 1887 |
| Univ. Copyright Convention | 27 September 1957 |
| WTO member | 1 January 1995 |
| URAA restoration date* | 1 January 1996 |
| WIPO treaty | 14 March 2010 |
| *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 the British Virgin Islands (BVI) relevant to uploading works into Wikimedia Commons. Note that any work originating in the British Virgin Islands must be in the public domain, or available under a free license, in both the BVI 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 the BVI, refer to the relevant laws for clarification.
Background[edit]
The British Virgin Islands (BVI) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. The islands were colonized by the British in the 17th century. They islands gained separate colony status in 1960 and became autonomous in 1967. The BVI is self-governing, and its government enacts local laws.
According to Chambers and Partners as of 2019, the British Virgin Islands does not have its own copyright registry. The United Kingdom extended the Copyright Act, 1956 (WIPO copy) to the BVI by the Copyright (Virgin Islands) Order 1962 (SI No 2185 of 1962).[1]
General rules[edit]
Under the Copyright Act 1956,
- Copyright subsisting in a work ... shall continue to subsist until the end of the period of 50 years from the end of the calendar year in which the author died, and shall then expire.[1956 Sec.2(3), 3(4)]
- If the work had not been made public before the death of the author, copyright shall continue to subsist until the end of the period of 50 years from the end of the calendar year which it was made public.[1956 Sec.2(3), 3(4)]
- Where the first publication of a literary, dramatic, or musical work. or of an artistic work other than a photograph, is anonymous or pseudonymous, any copyright subsisting in the work ... shall continue to subsist until the end of the period of 50 years from the end of the calendar year in which the work was first published, and shall then expire.[1956 2nd Sched. Sec.2]
- The copyright in a photograph shall continue to subsist until the end of the period of 50 years from the end of the calendar year in which the photograph is first published, and shall then expire.[1956 Sec.3(4b)]
Freedom of panorama[edit]
See also: Commons:Freedom of panorama
OK for architecture, sculptures, and works of artistic craftsmanship. 
Not OK for other types of artistic works. The Copyright Act 1956 contains freedom of panorama provisions at Section 9, subsections 3–6, with similar rules as those of the United Kingdom freedom of panorama.
See also[edit]
- British Virgin Islands
- Commons:Copyright rules by territory/British Overseas Territories
- Commons:Copyright rules by territory/United Kingdom
Citations[edit]
- ↑ British Virgin Islands Law and Practice. Chambers and Partners. Retrieved on 2019-03-14.