Copyright in Finland
Copyright protects and promotes intellectual creation in its different forms. By recognising the right of individuals to control the use of their works, society encourages creativity, at the same time promoting the production and distribution of immaterial products and investment and trade in them. The protection of cultural commodities and their accessibility underpins national culture and social development.
Finnish copyright legislation was amended in 2005 to meet the demands of the digital environment and the internet. The amendments to the Copyright Act and the amended section 49 of the Criminal Code came into force from the beginning of 2006. This reform implemented the Copyright Directive adopted by the EU in 2001. The amendments also concerned a number of national issues, such as the prohibition of private importation of pirate recordings.
Copyright is governed by national legislation, EU directives and international conventions.
In Finland copyright matters come under the Ministry of Education, including
- The development of copyright legislation
- Agreements on copying in educational institutions and the central government and on recording of radio and television programmes in educational institutions
- Tasks relating to the administration of copyright, such as the amount of compensation for private copying to authors, the approval of copyright organisations in certain cases
- Negotiations concerning international copyright treaties
- Copyright issues in the remit of the World Intellectual Property Organisation WIPO and other international organisations (WTO, OECD, Unesco, Council of Europe)
- Participation in the preparation of EU legislation
- Nordic cooperation in the copyright field.
Copyright organisations administer and supervise the rights of copyright holders and neighbouring rights holders.
Attached to the Ministry of Education is a Copyright Council, which is appointed by the government to assist the Ministry in copyright matters and to give its opinion on the application of the Copyright Act.
Industrial property rights, such as patents and trade marks, come under the Ministry of Trade and Industry. The National Board of Patents and Registration provides information and advice in questions relating to industrial property rights.
