Copyright Law in Malaysia

Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including. literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This. protection is available to both published and unpublished works. Every country have their own copyright law. In this entry, I will share the copyright law that we have in Malaysia, compare it with the U.S. copyright law, and highlight particular law for education.    

Where did you find the information?

Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO). It is an agency under the Ministry of Domestic, Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism.

Who developed or wrote the document?

Copyright Act 1987 (Act 332) is developed by the Government of Malaysia under the Ministry of Domestic, Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism.

What is similar & different from the international or U.S. law?

Similarity

• Malaysia, U.S. and my other countries generally have the same Copyright law. This is because we signed the Berne Convention.
• The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works -  an international agreement governing copyright, which was first accepted in Berne, Switzerland, in 1886.
• 172 countries signed the Berne Convention.

(Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berne_Convention)

Differences

• Unlike copyright law in other countries, Malaysia recognizes copyright for works made by the Government or Government organization. 
• This is stated in section 11(1). 
• For comparison, the copyright laws of the United States do not include the works created by the government unless the work is for trading purposes or other special purposes. 
• Therefore, almost all the work done by the United States government is in the public domain.

(Retrieved from:  https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undang-undang_hak_cipta_Malaysia)

Particular law for education or teacher.

The following are the excerpt from the Copyright Act 1987 (Act 332) that explains the particular law for education or teacher in Malaysia.

B. the reproduction made in schools, universities or educational institutions of a work included in a broadcast intended for such schools, universities or educational institutions. (CA s.13(2)(g))

C. any use made of a work by or under the direction or control of the Government, by the National Archives or any State Archives, by the National Library, or any State library, or by such public libraries and educational, scientific or professional institutions as the Minister may by order prescribe, where such use is in the public interest and is compatible with fair practice and the provisions of any regulations, (CA s.13(2)(i))

(Retrieved from: http://a2knetwork.org/reports/malaysia)

So, how about your country? You can share the copyright law in your country in the comment section.