Portugal
- Ariadna
Overview | ||
‘Other photographs’ related rights | No | |
Overview | Portugal does not protect unoriginal reproductions of works of visual arts. Nevertheless, the national lawmaker opted for transposing Article 14 of the DSM Directive. It did so by introducing a new article in the Copyright and Related Rights Code, within the chapter on the term of copyright protection. The transposition was made via a law decree on June 19, 2023 (Decreto-Lei n.º 47/2023). | |
Scope | Article 14 was transposed literally, meaning that the rule applies to works of visual art. These are not defined in the law. | |
Retroactivity | There is no specific rule on the application in time of Article 14. There is however a rule on the application in time of the law decree (see Article 14.º of Decreto-Lei n.º 47/2023). This provision is intended to implement Article 26(1) of the Directive, but it is stated as a double negative, conveying a different meaning (“This Decree-Law shall not apply to works and other protected subject-matter that are not protected by copyright or other related rights before June 7, 2021.”). | |
Statutory Law | Source language | English |
Provision on copyright | Código do Direito de Autor e dos Direitos Conexo TÍTULO I Da obra protegida e do direito de autor CAPÍTULO I Da obra protegida Definição 1 - Consideram-se obras as criações intelectuais do domínio literário, científico e artístico, por qualquer modo exteriorizadas, que, como tais, são protegidas nos termos deste Código, incluindo-se nessa protecção os direitos dos respectivos autores. Obras originais 1 - As criações intelectuais do domínio literário, científico e artístico, quaisquer que sejam o género, a forma de expressão, o mérito, o modo de comunicação e o objectivo, compreendem nomeadamente: h) Obras fotográficas ou produzidas por quaisquer processos análogos aos da fotografia; TÍTULO II Da utilização da obra CAPÍTULO III Das utilizações em especial SECÇÃO VIII Da obra fotográfica Condições de protecção 1 - Para que a fotografia seja protegida é necessário que pela escolha do seu objecto ou pelas condições da sua execução possa considerar-se como criação artística pessoal do seu autor. 2 - Não se aplica o disposto nesta secção às fotografias de escritos, de documentos, de papéis de negócios, de desenhos técnicos e de coisas semelhantes. 3 - Consideram-se fotografias os fotogramas das películas cinematográficas. Direitos de autor de obra fotográfica 1 - O autor da obra fotográfica tem o direito exclusivo de a reproduzir, difundir e pôr à venda com as restrições referentes à exposição, reprodução e venda de retratos e sem prejuízo dos direitos de autor sobre a obra reproduzida, no que respeita às fotografias de obras de artes plásticas. 2 - Se a fotografia for efectuada em execução de um contrato de trabalho ou por encomenda, presume-se que o direito previsto neste artigo pertence à entidade patronal ou à pessoa que fez a encomenda. 3 - Aquele que utilizar para fins comerciais a reprodução fotográfica deve pagar ao autor uma remuneração equitativa. Alienação do negativo A alienação do negativo de uma obra fotográfica importa, salvo convenção em contrário, a transmissão dos direitos referidos nos artigos precedentes. Indicações obrigatórias 1 - Os exemplares de obra fotográfica devem conter as seguintes indicações: a) Nome do fotógrafo; b) Em fotografia de obras de artes plásticas, o nome do autor da obra fotografada. 2 - Só pode ser reprimida como abusiva a reprodução irregular das fotografias em que figurem as indicações referidas, não podendo o autor, na falta destas indicações, exigir as retribuições previstas no presente Código, salvo se o fotógrafo provar má-fé de quem fez a reprodução. Reprodução de fotografia encomendada 1 - Salvo convenção em contrário, a fotografia de uma pessoa, quando essa fotografia seja executada por encomenda, pode ser publicada, reproduzida ou mandada reproduzir pela pessoa fotografada ou por seus herdeiros ou transmissários sem consentimento do fotógrafo seu autor. 2 - Se o nome do fotógrafo figurar na fotografia original, deve também ser indicado nas reproduções. | Copyright and Related Rights Code TITLE I Protected works and copyright CHAPTER I Protected works Definition 1 - Shall be deemed as works the intellectual creations in the literary, scientific and artistic fields, expressed in any way, which, as such, are protected under the terms of this Code, and shall be included in such protection the rights of the respective authors. Original works 1 - Intellectual creations in the literary, scientific and artistic fields, whatever their genre, form of expression, merit, mode of communication and purpose, shall include in particular: h) Photographic works or works produced by any process similar to photography;
TITLE II Use of the work CHAPTER III Special uses SECTION VIII Photographic work Protection conditions 1 - In order for a photograph to be protected, it must be considered by the choice of its subject matter or the conditions of its execution to be the author's personal artistic creation. 2 - The provisions of this section shall not apply to photographs of writings, documents, business papers, technical drawings and the like. 3 - Frames of cinematographic films shall be considered photographs. Copyright in photographic works 1 - The author of a photographic work has the exclusive right to reproduce it, disseminate it and offer it for sale, subject to the restrictions concerning the exhibition, reproduction and sale of portraits and without prejudice to the copyright on the reproduced work, with regard to photographs of works of art. 2 - If the photograph is taken in execution of an employment contract or on commission, the right provided for in this article shall be presumed to belong to the employer or the person who placed the order. 3 - Anyone who uses the photographic reproduction for commercial purposes must pay the author an equitable remuneration. Disposal of the negative The sale of a negative of a photographic work shall, unless otherwise agreed, entail the transfer of the rights referred to in the preceding articles. Mandatory information 1 - Copies of photographic works must contain the following information: a) Name of the photographer; b) In the case of photographs of works of art, the name of the author of the photographed work. 2 - Only the irregular reproduction of photographs in which the aforementioned information appears may be repressed as abusive, and the author may not, in the absence of that information, demand the remuneration provided for in this Code, unless the photographer proves bad faith on the part of the person who made the reproduction. Reproduction of a commissioned photograph 1 - Unless otherwise agreed, a photograph of a person, when that photograph is made to order, may be published, reproduced or commissioned to be reproduced by the person photographed or by their heirs or assigns without the consent of the photographer. 2 - If the photographer's name appears on the original photograph, it must also be indicated on reproductions. |
Revised provision on copyright | Código do Direito de Autor e dos Direitos Conexos CAPÍTULO IV Da duração Obras de arte visual no domínio público Depois de expirado o prazo de proteção de uma obra de arte visual, qualquer material resultante de um ato de reprodução dessa obra no domínio público só é protegido por direito de autor ou direito conexo se for original, resultando da criação intelectual do seu próprio autor. | Copyright and Related Rights Code CHAPTER IV Duration Works of visual art in the public domain After the term of protection of a work of visual art has expired, any material resulting from an act of reproduction of that work in the public domain shall be protected by copyright or related right only if it is original, resulting from the author's own intellectual creation. |
Comments / analysis | The Portuguese Copyright and Related Rights Code, dated from 1985, has a special section on “photographic works”, within the title dedicated to the use of copyrighted works, which includes specific rules on: (i) the conditions of protection of photographic works (the photographic work must be the author’s personal “artistic creation”), whereas such condition only exists for one another category of work (works of applied arts and design works); (ii) formalities (the copies of a photographic work must contain the name of the author, otherwise the author will only benefit of limited rights over such work), whereas no such rule exists for other works; (iii) the scope of protection of photographic works (apparently authors of photographic works only have some of the exclusive rights that apply to other works); (iv) ownership of photographic works (including a presumption of ownership for commissioned works/works created by an employee, which is different from the presumption that applies to other works, and a presumption of transfer of rights when negative of the photograph is sold); and (v) permitted uses (including what seems to be an implicit permission for commercial uses of “photographic reproductions” provided that payment is made to the author, which again does not exist for other works).
This legal framework can be traced back to the previous Copyright Code (“Código do Direito de Autor”), dated from 1966, which also contained specific conditions for the protection of photographic works, while providing for a term of protection of photographic works of 25 years, half of the term of protection of other works (which was then 50 years).
Since the implementation of the Term Directive in Portugal, there is no longer a different copyright term for photographic works. However, these legacy provisions remain in the Portuguese law. Most are clearly not consistent with the EU legal framework for copyrighted works (namely the harmonised concepts of EU law). At the time they were enacted the national lawmaker clearly did not consider that photographic works deserve the same level of protection of other works and, thus, implemented a higher standard of protection and a more limited scope of protection. These provisions have remained unchanged, despite the subsequent implementation of the EU Directives and the CJEU case law. | |
Provision on related rights for “other photographs” |
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Revised provision on related rights for “other photographs” |
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Comments / analysis | Despite the lack of conformity of the provisions mentioned above with the EU rules on copyrighted works, it does not seem that they can be interpreted as enacting a copyright-like regime for photographs that are not photographic works, since there is a specific provision requiring photographs to be the author's personal artistic creation in order to obtain exclusive rights protection. Furthermore, such provisions are included within a title dedicated to copyright, and not within the title dedicated to related rights. | |
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