14
Such contract shall constitute a joint undertaking. It shall be governed, subject to the
provisions of the Civil Code, by convention and usage.
Article 56: It shall be lawful to specify that the author undertakes to grant a preferential
right to a publisher for the publication of his future works in clearly defined genres.
Such right shall be limited for each genre to five new works from the date of signing of
the contract entered into for the first work, or works produced by the author within a
period of five years from the same date.
The publisher shall exercise the right conferred on him by informing the author in writing
of his decision, within a period of three months from the date on which the author
delivers each final manuscript.
Where a publisher enjoying the preferential right has successively refused two new works
submitted by the author in the genre specified in the contract, the author may
immediately and automatically regain his freedom in relation to any future works that he
may produce in that genre. Where the author has received advances for his future works
from the first publisher, however, he must first refund them.
Article 57: Where book publishing is concerned, the author may, subject to a formally
expressed agreement, receive a lumpsum remuneration for the first edition of the
following:
1 scientific or technical works;
2 anthologies and encyclopedias;
3 prefaces, annotations, introductions, presentations;
4 illustrations to a work;
5 limited de luxe editions;
6 prayer books;
7 – translations, at the request of the translator;
8 lowpriced popular editions;
9 lowpriced albums.
Lumpsum remuneration may also be paid for the assignment of rights to or by a person
or a company established abroad.