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Copyright Guidelines Copyright and Photocopying According to the Copyright Act (Act VI of 1967 as amended by Act LVIII of 1974, LN 148 of 1977;Act XI of 1977, Act XII of 1983 and Act XX of 1992) copyright applies to all original literary, musical and artistic works, including among other, books, writings, musical works, photographs, illustrations, diagrams, motion picture films, computer software and sound recordings. While the responsibility for policing copyright rests with the owner, the law prohibits making copies of books or any other works mentioned above, by anyone, including libraries, unless authorized by the copyright owner. What is allowed is the quotation from or reproduction of minor excerpts from which a copyright exists for bona fide purposes of private study, research, criticism, review or newspaper summary. This type of quotation or reproduction is referred to in the Act as "Fair Dealing". Photocopying Guidelines The Copyright Act does not specify the number of words or passages that can be used without the permission of the author. However, the following guidelines can be followed: Serials: One article from one issue of a serial publication, providing that the article does not compromise the whole issue of the journal, in which case the limitations suggested for monographs would apply. Monographs: Up to 4,000 word (approx. 10 pages) from a book if not in sequence, or up to 8,000 words if taken from various sections of the book, providing that the total amount does not exceed 10% of the whole work. Poems, essays, short literary works and chapters written by a contributing author are considered whole works in themselves and not ' parts ' of the same book. In other instances and particularly when multiple copies are required, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder. Copyright Clearance The responsibility for the copyright clearance for making multiple copies of an item or for copying in excess of " Fair Dealing " rests entirely with the requestor. Expiration of Copyright In the case of literary, musical or artistic works, copyright expires twenty-five years after the end of the year in which the author dies. In all other cases it is calculated as expiring twenty-five years after the end of the year in which the work was made accessible to the public. © 2005 German-Maltese Circle. All rights reserved. Terms of Use - Disclaimer