Austria

Overview

Taskforce reviewers

Christian Recht, email address

‘Other photographs’ related rights

Yes

Overview

Article 14 was implemented by the Copyright Revision Act 2021 (Urheberrechtsnovelle 2021), published on December 31, 2021 (BGBl I 244/2021). Implementation of Art 14 was done by amending § 74 section 1 of the Copyright Act, which entered into force on January 1, 2022. 

Scope

Reproduction photographs of [fine/visual] art for which the protection period has expired. This means Article 14’s implementation does not apply to visual artworks that predate copyright protections. 

Retroactivity

None.

Statutory Law

Source language

English

Provision on copyright 

Revised provision on copyright 

Comments / analysis

Provision on related rights for “other photographs”

Schutzrecht.

§ 74. (1) Wer ein Lichtbild aufnimmt (Hersteller), hat mit den vom Gesetz bestimmten Beschränkungen das ausschließliche Recht, das Lichtbild zu vervielfältigen, zu verbreiten, durch optische Einrichtungen öffentlich vorzuführen, durch Rundfunk zu senden und der Öffentlichkeit zur Verfügung zu stellen. Bei gewerbsmäßig hergestellten Lichtbildern gilt der Inhaber des Unternehmens als Hersteller.

Property right. 

§ 74. (1) Anyone who takes a photograph (manufacturer) has the exclusive right, subject to the restrictions set by law, to reproduce the photograph, to distribute it, to display it publicly through optical devices, to broadcast it via radio and to make it available to the public. For commercially produced photographs, the owner of the company is considered the manufacturer.

Revised provision on related rights for “other photographs” 

Schutzrecht.

§ 74. (1) Wer ein Lichtbild aufnimmt (Hersteller), hat mit den vom Gesetz bestimmten Beschränkungen das ausschließliche Recht, das Lichtbild zu vervielfältigen, zu verbreiten, durch optische Einrichtungen öffentlich vorzuführen, durch Rundfunk zu senden und der Öffentlichkeit zur Verfügung zu stellen, es sei denn, das Lichtbild gibt ein Werk der bildenden Künste wieder, für das die Schutzfrist abgelaufen ist. Bei gewerbsmäßig hergestellten Lichtbildern gilt der Inhaber des Unternehmens als Herstelle.

Property right. 

§ 74. (1) Anyone who takes a photograph (manufacturer) has the exclusive right, subject to the restrictions set by law, to reproduce the photograph, to distribute it, to display it publicly through optical devices, to broadcast it via radio and to make it available to the public, unless the photograph reproduces a work of fine arts for which the protection period has expired. For commercially produced photographs, the owner of the company is considered the manufacturer

Comments / analysis

• Object of protection: Photographs that are not a photographic work, lack originality, or are manufactured by photography or similar techniques.

• Type of protection: Assimilated to copyright (but reduced in some respect, such as adaptation). Moral rights include attribution and integrity, but reduced and some formality.

• Duration: 50 years from production or 50 years from publication (if published within 50 years of production).

According to § 74, non-original photographs are protected by a related right. However, as of 2022, photographs that reproduce a work of [fine/visual] art that is out-of-copyright cannot be protected by the related right. According to the implementation explanations to this amendment, which refer to Art 1 Section 2 of DIR (EU) 2019/790, other related rights (e.g. database rights or film producer rights) are not affected by this amendment.

Case Law

Source language

English

Originality in photography

Takeaways

Limitations for CHIs

Reflections

Sources

• https://eurovision.communia-association.org/detail/austria/  

• Copyright Act, Consolidated Version

• Austrian Parliament - Copyright Act Revision 2021 

• Article 28, Bundesgesetz, mit dem das Urheberrechtsgesetz, das Verwertungsgesellschaftengesetz 2016 und das KommAustria-Gesetz geändert werden (Urheberrechts-Novelle 2021 – Urh-Nov 2021) -  pag. 9 of the text- , modifies paragraph 74 of the copyright law. Official publication: Bundesgesetzblatt für die Republik Österreich ( BGBl. ) ; Number: BGBl. I Nr. 244/2021 ; Publication date: 2021-12-31 

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