Commons:Copyright rules by territory/Montserrat

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This page provides an overview of copyright rules of the Montserrat relevant to uploading works into Wikimedia Commons. Note that any work originating in Montserrat must be in the public domain, or available under a free license, in both Montserrat 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 Montserrat, refer to the relevant laws for clarification.

Background

Montserrat was part of the federal crown colony of the British Leeward Islands from 1871 to 1958. The island became a province of the short-lived West Indies Federation from 1958 to 1962. Montserrat today is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the House of Assembly.

As of December 2018 Montserrat continued to use the United Kingdom's 1956 Copyright Act.[1] The United Kingdom government holds a copy of this act as originally enacted.[2]

General rules

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

Shortcut

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

Citations

  1. Nerisaa Golden (3 December 2018). Montserrat Creatives at Risk With Archaic Copyright Laws, Says Attorney. Discover Montserrat. Retrieved on 2019-03-14.
  2. Copyright Act 1956. United Kingdom (1956).
Caution: The above description may be inaccurate, incomplete and/or out of date, so must be treated with caution. Before you upload a file to Wikimedia Commons you should ensure it may be used freely. See also: Commons:General disclaimer