Computer Programs Directive

In Europe, the need to foster the computer software industry brought attention to the lack of adequate harmonisation among the copyright laws of the various EU nations with respect to such software.

Preamble to Council Directive 91/250/EEC of 14 May 1991 Economic pressure spurred the development of the first directive which had two goals (1) the harmonisation of the law and (2) dealing with the problems caused by the need for interoperability.{{Cite journal|author=Mylly, Ulla-Maija|year=2009|title=Harmonizing Copyright Rules for Computer Program Interface Protection|publisher=University of Louisville Law Review|volume=48|location=Louisville, Kentucky|pages=877–911, page 878|url=http://www.law.louisville.edu/sites/www.law.louisville.edu/files/cicl2-mylly.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605051113/http://www.law.louisville.edu/sites/www.law.louisville.edu/files/cicl2-mylly.pdf|archivedate=5 June 2010|url-status=live}}

The first EU Directive on the legal protection of computer programs was Council Directive 91/250/EEC of 14 May 1991. It required (Art. 1) that computer programs and any associated design material be protected under copyright as literary works within the sense of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works.[https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/text/283698 Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works]. WIPO Lex. World Intellectual Property Organization.{{Cite journal|author=Palenski, Ronald J.|year=1991|title=The EC Software Directive: Meeting the Challenges of the Information Age|journal=Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal|volume=10|issue=1|pages=191–276|url=http://cardozoaelj.com/wp-content/uploads/Journal%20Issues/Volume%2010/Issue%201/Palenski.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140510161916/http://cardozoaelj.com/wp-content/uploads/Journal%20Issues/Volume%2010/Issue%201/Palenski.pdf|archivedate=10 May 2014|url-status=live}}

The Directive also defined the copyright protection to be applied to computer programs: the owner of the copyright has the exclusive right to authorise (Art 4):

• the temporary or permanent copying of the program, including any copying which may be necessary to load, view or run the program;
• the translation, adaptation or other alteration to the program;
• the distribution of the program to the public by any means, including rental, subject to the first-sale doctrine.

However, these rights are subject to certain limitations (Art. 5). The legal owner of a program is assumed to have a licence to create any copies necessary to use the program and to alter the program within its intended purpose (e.g. for error correction). The legal owner may also make a back-up copy for his or her personal use. The program may also be decompiled if this is necessary to ensure it operates with another program or device (Art. 6), but the results of the decompilation may not be used for any other purpose without infringing the copyright in the program.

The duration of the copyright was originally fixed at the life of the author plus fifty years (Art. 8), in accordance with the Berne Convention standard for literary works (Art. 7.1 Berne Convention). This has since been prolonged to the life of the author plus seventy years by the 1993 Copyright Duration Directive (superseded but confirmed by the 2006 Copyright Term Directive).[https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:31993L0083 Council Directive 93/98/EEC of 29 October 1993 harmonizing the term of protection of copyright and certain related rights], OJ no. L290 of 1993-11-24, p. 9.

Council Directive 91/250/EEC was formally replaced by Directive 2009/24/EC on 25 May 2009,Articles 10 and 11 of the [https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32009L0024 Directive 2009/24/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the legal protection of computer programs], L 111/16 EN, Official Journal of the European Union, 5 May 2009. which consolidated "the various minor amendments the original directive had received over the years".Jeremy Phillips, [http://ipkitten.blogspot.com/2009/05/tuesday-tiddleywinks.html Tuesday tiddleywinks], IPKat, 5 May 2009. Consulted on 5 May 2009.

{{EU directive implementation|

AT=[https://archive.today/20041201125909/http://www.wipo.int/clea/docs_new/en/at/at010en.html Urheberrechtsgesetznovelle 1993], BGBl. No. 93/1993, p. 1166 |

BE=[https://web.archive.org/web/20080222075347/http://www.juridat.be/cgi_loi/loi_F.pl?cn=1994063036 Law of 30.06.1994 (French)], Law of 30.06.1994 (Flemish), Moniteur Belge du 17 juillet 1994, p. 19315 |

CZ=[https://web.archive.org/web/20041128030156/http://www.wipo.int/clea/docs_new/en/cz/cz029en.html Law No. 121/2000 Coll. of 7 April 2000 on Copyright, Rights Related to Copyright and on the Amendment of Certain Laws] |

DK=[https://www.retsinformation.dk/Forms/R0710.aspx?id=47812 LOV nr 1010 af 19/12/1992] updated by LBK nr 1144 af 23/10/2014 |

EE=[https://web.archive.org/web/20250117053850/https://www.riigiteataja.ee/akt/121062024005 Autoriõiguse seadus] (2024-10-12) |

FI=Laws Nos. 418/93 and 419/93, Finnish Official Journal of 1993-05-12, p. 415 |

FR={{cite French law|number or usual name=n^o 94–361|date in French=10 mai 1994|full name=portant mise en oeuvre de la directive (C. E. E.) n^o 91–250 du Conseil des communautés européennes en date du 14 mai 1991 concernant la protection juridique des programmes d'ordinateur et modifiant le code de la propriété intellectuelle|URL=http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do;jsessionid=515C58B1804AD19DC00A9E54011795F7.tpdjo13v_3?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000000713568&dateTexte=19940511}}|

DE=Zweites Gesetz zur Änderung des Urheberrechtsgesetzes vom 9. Juni 1993, BGBl I p. 910 |

GR=Law No. 2121/93, Official Journal A No. 25 |

IE=[https://web.archive.org/web/20050324110430/http://www.wipo.int:80/clea/docs_new/en/ie/ie019en.html European Communities (Legal Protection of Computer Programs) Regulations, 1993 (S.I. No. 26 of 1993)] |

IT=[https://web.archive.org/web/20081208051107/http://www.cert.garr.it:80/legislazione/dl518_92.html Decreto Legislativo No. 518 del 29 dicembre 1992]|

LT=[https://web.archive.org/web/20041120001448/http://www.wipo.int:80/clea/docs_new/en/lv/lv017en.html Autortiesību likums] (2000-04-06) |

LI=[https://web.archive.org/web/20050228095912/http://www.wipo.int:80/clea/docs_new/en/lt/lt002en.html Autorių teisių ir gretutinių teisių įstatimas N. VIII-1185] (1999-05-18) |

LU=[http://legilux.public.lu/eli/etat/leg/loi/2001/04/18/n2/jo Loi du 18 avril 2001 sur les droits d'auteur, les droits voisins et les bases de données]. Section 7 – Les programmes d'ordinateur |

MT=[https://web.archive.org/web/20050324104211/http://www.wipo.int:80/clea/docs_new/en/mt/mt001en.html Copyright Act, 2000] |

NL=[http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/details.jsp?id=3182 Wet van 07.07.1994], Stb. JS-1994, p. 521 |

PL=Ustawa z 4 lutego 1994 o prawie autorskim i prawach pokrewnych, art. 74–77, Dz.U. 1994 nr 24 poz. 83 |

PT=[https://dre.pt/dre/legislacao-consolidada/decreto-lei/1994-34555675 Decreto-Lei n. 252/94, de 20 de Outubro de 1994], Diário da República – I Série A, no. 243 de 20 de Outubro de 1994, p. 6374 |

RO=[http://www.orda.ro/fisiere/legi/LEGEA%20%208%20ENGLEZA%20actualizata%20noiembrie%202014.pdf Law No.8/1996 updated November 2014], state authority: Romanian Copyright Office, see also Intellectual property in Romania |

SK=[https://web.archive.org/web/20050117021351/http://www.wipo.int:80/clea/docs_new/en/sk/sk021en.html Copyright Act] of 1997-12-05 (No. 383/1997) |

SI=[https://web.archive.org/web/20050816124520/http://www.wipo.int/clea/docs_new/en/si/si001en.html Zakon o avtorskih in sorodnih pravicah] (1995-03-30) |

ES=[https://web.archive.org/web/20071021205118/http://www.wipo.int/clea/docs_new/en/es/es018en.html Ley 16/1993, de 23 de diciembre, de incorporación al Derecho español de la Directiva 91/250/CEE, de 14 de mayo, sobre la protección jurídica de programas de ordenador] |

SE=Act No. 1687/92 |

GB=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060918132906/http://www.opsi.gov.uk:80/si/si1992/Uksi_19923233_en_1.htm Copyright (Computer Programs) Regulations 1992 No. 3233]

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• Copyright law of the European Union
• Software copyright

{{Reflist}}

• [https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:31991L0250 Text of the original directive on the legal protection of computer programs] (no longer in force)
• [https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:01991L0250-19931119 Consolidated version of the directive] (1993-11-19) no longer in force
• [https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:52000DC0199 Report from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee on the implementation and effects of directive 91/250/EEC on the legal protection of computer programs], (2000-04-10)
• [https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32009L0024 Directive 2009/24/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the legal protection of computer programs] current directive, in force

{{Intellectual property laws of the European Union}}

Category:Copyright law of the European Union

Category:European Union directives

Category:European Union technology policy

Category:Copyright legislation

Category:Information technology in Europe

Category:1991 in law

Category:1991 in the European Economic Community