The Hungarian Copyright Act (Act LXXVI of 1999) protects all forms of computer programs and the related documents (software), whether recorded as source code, object code or in any other form, including user programs and operating systems (section 1(2)c) of the Copyright Act). Chapter VI of the Act contains the detailed rules of software fully harmonized to the relevant directives issued by the European Council and/or Commission, i.e. the Council Directive 91/250/EEC of May 14, 1991 on the legal protection of computer programs.

Registration: copyright protection does not depend on any formalities, there is no requirement to have the copyright protection indicated on the work; neither the registration nor the deposit of the work is necessary to obtain copyright protection. However, depositing the work at the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office or at a registered collective rights management society will cause a rebuttable legal presumption that the person who made the deposit shall be considered as the author.

Duration: seventy years after the death of the author of the computer program. Parallel protection can be derived from the Law against Unfair Competition, the Trademark Law, Civil Law, etc. 

Further information: ARTISJUS, H-1016 Budapest, Mészáros u. 15-17, tel (+36-1) 488 2600, fax (+36-1) 212 1544, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.