– Law on Copyright and Related Rights No. 230 of July 28, 2022, in force since September 9, 2022.

Membership in International Conventions

– Universal Copyright Convention.
– Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, since November 2, 1995.
– Rome Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organizations, since December 5, 1995.
– Phonograms Convention, since July 17, 2000.
– WTO's TRIPS Agreement, since July 26, 2001.
– WIPO Copyright Treaty, since March 6, 2002.
– WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty, since May 20, 2002.
– Marrakesh Treaty, since May 19, 2018.
– Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances, since April 28, 2020.

Protection

Registration is not required for owners of an original work. Copyright protection is automatic and free from the moment a work is created. However, registration is possible, even for unpublished works, and an official certificate is issued, which, in the event of a dispute, may constitute a presumption of authorship for the court in the absence of proof to the contrary. 

Duration: (a) during the lifetime of the author, plus 70 years after his death, computed from January 1st of the year following his death; (b) for audiovisual works: 70 years computed from January 1st of the year following the death of the last surviving joint author; (c) for anonymous or pseudonymous works, except in works of applied art: for 70 years, computed from January 1st of the year following that of the legal publishing of the work; (d) copyright in works of joint authorship, except in works of applied art are protected throughout the lifetime of each joint author and for 70 years as computed from January 1st of the year following that of the death of the last surviving author; (e) copyright in a work of applied art is protected for 25 years from its creation, except for industrial designs and models unregistered in compliance with the Law on the protection of industrial designs, created for industrial purposes of reproduction and subject to a 3-year protection from the creation thereof; (f) copyright in a work that was not previously published, upon expiry of the term of protection, shall be protected for 25 years from the date on which the work was first published or lawfully disclosed to the public; (g) copyright in critical or scientific publications of the works edited after the expiration of the term of protection thereof shall be protected for 30 years from the date it was firstly lawfully published.

Registry

Authority name: State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI).

Internet address: http://agepi.gov.md