Chapter Four
Protection Period
Article 54: The material rights shall be protected in favor of the author throughout his life, and
in favor of the rights owners for fifty (50) years from the beginning of the Gregorian year
following his death.
Article 55: The said protection period in Article 54 above shall be effective in respect of a joint
work from the end of the Gregorian year following the death of the last co-authors.
If there are no heirs for the deceased author, his authorship share in the joint work shall be
managed by the National Bureau for Copyrights & Neighboring Rights.
Article 56: The protection period of the material rights for the collective work shall be fifty (50)
years from the end of the Gregorian year during which the work has been legally published for
the first time.
In the case where the work has not been published within fifty years of its accomplishment, the
50-year protection period shall be effective from the end of the Gregorian year during which the
work has been publicly circulated.
If the work has not been publicly circulated within fifty years from its accomplishment, the 50year protection period shall be effective from the end of the Gregorian year during which the
work has been accomplished.
Article 57: The protection period of the material rights for the pseudonym or anonymous work
shall be fifty (50) years from the end of the Gregorian year during which the work has been
legally published for the first time.
In the case where the work has not been published within fifty years of its accomplishment, the
50-year protection period shall be effective from the end of the Gregorian year during which the
work has been publicly circulated.
If the work has not been publicly circulated within fifty years from its accomplishment, the 50year protection period shall be effective from the end of the Gregorian year during which the
work has been accomplished.
If the identity of the author name has been undoubtfully identified, the 50-year protection period
shall be effective from the beginning of the Gregorian year following the death of the author.
Article 58: The protection period of the material rights for the audiovisual work shall be fifty
(50) years from the end of the Gregorian year during which the work has been legally published
for the first time.
In the case where the work has not been published within fifty years of its accomplishment, the
50-year protection period shall be effective from the end of the Gregorian year during which the
work has been publicly circulated.
If the work has not been publicly circulated within fifty years from its accomplishment, the 50year protection period shall be effective from the end of the Gregorian year during which the
work has been accomplished.
Article 59: The protection period for material rights of pictorial or applied art work shall be fifty
years from the end of the Gregorian year during which the work has been accomplished.