Copyright rules: Sri Lanka Shortcut: COM:SRI LANKA
Durations
Standard	Life + 70 years
Anonymous	Publish + 70 years
Audiovisual	Create/publish + 70 years
Collective	Create/publish + 70 years
Applied art	Create + 25 years
Other
Freedom of panorama	No
Terms run to year end	Yes
Common licence tags	{{PD-old-auto}} {{PD-Sri Lanka}}
ISO 3166-1 alpha-3	LKA
Treaties
Berne convention	4 February 1948
Univ. Copyright Convention	25 January 1984
WTO member	1 January 1995
URAA restoration date‌*	1 January 1996
*‌A work is usually protected in the US if it is a type of work copyrightable in the US, published after 31 December 1929 and protected in the country of origin on the URAA date.
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This page provides an overview ofcopyright rules of Sri Lanka relevant to uploading works into Wikimedia Commons.Note that any work originating inSri Lanka must be in the public domain, or available under a free license, in both Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka, refer to the relevant laws for clarification.

Sri Lanka was occupied by the British in 1815. The country declared independence on 4 February 1948.

Sri Lanka has been a member of theBerne Convention since 4 February 1948.The declaration of continued application to the Berne convention after the accession of the State to independence was made on 20 July 1959, applicable as of the accession of the country to independence.^[1]Sri Lanka joined theWorld Trade Organization as of 1 January 1995.^[2]

As of 2018 theWorld Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), an agency of the United Nations, listed theIntellectual Property Act (Act No. 36 of 2003) as the main IP law enacted by the legislature of Sri Lanka.^[2]WIPO holds the text of this law in theirWIPO Lex database.^[3]The 2003 Act repealed theCode of Intellectual Property Act, No. 52 of 1979.^{[36/2003 Section 208(1)]}

Copyright covers original literary and artistic works: writings such as books, computer programs, articles, oral works such as speeches and lectures, dramas, musical works, films, works of architecture, drawings, paintings and photographs.^{[36/2003 Section 6]}Collections and derivative works such as databases and translations are also protected.^{[36/2003 Section 7]}

Under Sri Lanka'sIntellectual Property Act, No. 36 of 2003,

• Economic and moral rights are protected during the life of the author and for 70 years from the date of his death.^{[36/2003 Section 13(1)]}
• With a work of joint authorship, the rights are protected during the life of the last surviving author and for 70 years from the date of the death of the last surviving author.^{[36/2003 Section 13(2)]}
• For a collective work, other than a work of applied art, and for an audiovisual work, the rights are protected for 70 years from the date on which the work was first published, or failing publication within 70 years from the making of the work.^{[36/2003 Section 13(3)]}
• With a work published anonymously or under a pseudonym, the rights are protected for 70 years from the date on which the work was first published, provided the author does not become known during that period.^{[36/2003 Section 13(4)]}
• With a work of applied art, the rights are protected for 25 years from the date of the making of the work.^{[36/2003 Section 13(5)]}
• Every period provided for above runs to the end of the calendar year in which it would otherwise expire.^{[36/2003 Section 13(6)]}

Theolder 1979 law had a term of 50 years pma, 50 years on audiovisual and anonymous works as well as 25 years from creation on photographs. According to Article 208 (4) (b) of Act No. 36 of 2003, it did not restore copyright on works that already had their copyright expire.

See also:Commons:Unprotected works

Under Sri Lanka'sIntellectual Property Act, No. 36 of 2003,

• Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 6 and 7, no protection shall be extended under this Part (a) to any idea, procedure, system, method of operation, concept, principle, discovery or mere data, even if expressed, described, explained, illustrated or embodied in a work; (b) to any official text of a legislative, administrative or legal nature, as well as any official translation thereof; (c) to news of the day published, broadcast, or publicly communicated by any other means.^{[36/2003 Section 8]}

See also:Commons:Paying public domainUnder Sri Lanka'sIntellectual Property Act, No. 36 of 2003,

• Subject to the provision of subsection (4) of this section expressions of folklore shall be protected against (a) reproduction; (b) communication to the public by performance, broadcasting, distribution by cable or other means; (c) adaptation, translation and other transformation, when such expressions are made either for commercial purposes or outside their traditional or customary context.^{[36/2003 Section 24(1)]}
• The right to authorize acts referred to in subsection (1) of this section shall subject to the payment of a prescribed fee, vest in a Competent authority to be determined by the Minister.^{[36/2003 Section 24(4)]}
• The money collected under subsection (4) shall be used for purposes of cultural development.^{[36/2003 Section 24(5)]}

See also:Commons:Currency

 Not OK The government works that are excepted from copyright are only "any official text of a legislative, administrative or legal nature, as well as any official translation thereof" (Intellectual Property Act, No. 36 of 2003, at Section 8B), so it is assumed that banknotes and coins are protected and not appropriate for Commons.

See also:Commons:Freedom of panorama

 Not OK The prevailingIntellectual Property Act, No. 36 of 2003 does not provide any freedom of panorama clause. The exceptions at Section 11 only deal with U.S.-style "fair use" like criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.^{[36/2003 Section 11]}

The now-repealedCode of Intellectual Property Act, No. 52 of 1979 had a limited freedom of panorama for films and television broadcasts only, as long as the source and name of the author of the works of art and architecture "permanently located in a place where they can be viewed by the public" were mentioned in the films or television broadcasts.^{[52/1979 Section 13(d)]}

Sri Lankan copyright law was revised 2001–2003, dropping any direct reference to anything resembling "freedom of panorama". Still the legal right of the repealed law would not be compatible to Wikimedia Commons as it was for films and television broadcasts only, excluding photographs.

See also:Commons:Stamps

. TheIntellectual Property Act No 36 of 2003 is silent on stamps, so assume copyrighted until general term of protection expires. It seems that stamps would be public domain if published before 1 January 1955, use{{PD-Sri Lanka}}.

• Sri Lanka
• Category:Sri Lankan FOP cases
• Category:Stamps of Sri Lanka

• Commons licensing help by country
• Copyright rules of Sri Lanka
• Paying public domain