United States of America

Netherlands

Copyright and Related Rights

4. Please explain whether and how the Netherlands provides full retroactive protection to works, phonograms and performances from other WTO Members, as required by TRIPS Articles 9.1, 14.6 and 70.2, each of which incorporate by reference or rely upon Berne Article 18. Please give the date back to which such protection extends with respect to each category of subject matter.

The provisions of Berne including its Article 18 have been applicable in the Netherlands since its accession on 1 November 1912. As from 1 January 1996 the term of protection under the Copyright Act is 70 years. Neighbouring rightholders are protected by the Act on neighbouring rights of 1993. The term of protection under the Act on neighbouring rights is 50 years. The protection extends to performances which took place before the Act entered into force. The same applies to phonograms which were made before that date. The wording of the relevant provision in the Act is quite general, which means that the protection could extend to fifty years before the Act went into force.