WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION 
ORGANISATION MONDIALE DU COMMERCE 
ORGANIZACION MUNDIAL DEL COMERCIO 
Council for Trade-Related Aspects of 
Intellectual Property Rights IP~/1/0~/C/l 
18 July 2001 
(01-3566) 
Original: English! 
anglaisl 
ingles 
MAIN DEDICATED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 
LAWS AND REGULATIONS NOTIFIED UNDER 
ARTICLE 63.2 OF THE AGREEMENT 
OMAN 
The present document reproduces the text of Royal Decree No. 37/2000 promulgating the 
Law on the Protection of Copyright and Neighbouring Rights, as notified by Oman under Article 63.2 
of the Agreement (see document IPlNllIOMNIl). 
Conseil des aspects des droits de propriete 
intellectuelle qui touchent au commerce 
PRINCIPALES LOIS ET REGLEMENTATIONS CONSACREES A LA 
PROPru:ETE INTELLECTUELLE NOTIFIEES AU TITRE 
DE L'ARTICLE 63:2 DE L'ACCORD 
OMAN 
Le present document contient le textel du Decret royal n° 37/2000 promulguant la Loi sur la 
protection du droit d'auteur et des droits voisins, notifiee par l'Oman au titre de l'article63:2 de 
l'Accord (voir le document IPINIlIOMNIl). 
Consejo de los Aspectos de los Derechos de Propiedad 
Intelectual relacionados con el Comercio 
PRINCIP ALES LEYES Y REGLAMENTOS DEDICADOS A LA PROPIEDAD 
INTELECTUAL NOTIFICADOS EN VIRTUD DEL pARRAFO 2 
DEL ARTICULO 63 DEL ACUERDO 
OMAN 
En el presente documento se reproduce el texto1 del Real Decreto N° 37/2000 de promulgaci6n 
de la Ley de Protecci6n del Derecho de Autor y Derechos Conexos, que Oman ha notificado en virtud 
del parrafo 2 del articulo 63 del Acuerdo (vease el documento IPlNllIOMNIl). 
I In English only. The text in the original language is available for consultation by interested 
Delegations at the WTO Secretariat.lEn anglais seulement. Les delegations interessees peuventconsulter le 
texte dans sa langue d'origine, au Secretariat de rOMC./En ingles solamente. Las delegaciones interesadas 
podran consultar en la Secretaria de la OMC el texto en su idioma original. IPfNll IOMN/CIl 
Page 2 
Royal Decree No. 37/2000 
Promulgating the Law on the Protection of Copyrights and Neighbouring Rights 
We, Qaboos Bin Said, Sultan of Oman 
After perusal of the Basic Law of the State promulgated by the Royal Decree No. 101/96. 
And the Copyrights Law promulgated by the Royal Decree No. 47/96. 
And in pursuance of the public interesL 
Have decreed as follows: 
Article 1: 
Article 2~ 
Article 3·: 
Article 4: The provisions of the attached Law on the Protection of Copyright and 
Neighbouring Rights shall apply. 
The Minister of Commerce & Industry shall issue the regulations and 
decisions necessary for the implementation of the provisions of the present 
Law. 
The Royal Decree No .. 47/96 mentioned above shall be cancelled. 
This Decree shall be published in the Official Gazette and shall come into 
force as from the date of its publication~ 
Qaboos Bin Said 
Sultan of Oman 
Issued on: 17 Safar 1421-H. 
21 May 2000 
Official Gazette No. 672 SULTANATE OF OMAN 
LAW ON COPYRIGHT AND RELATED RIGHTS 
CHAPTER I 
DEFINITIONS 
Article 1: IP/NI1I0MN/CI 1 
Page 3 
For the purposes of this Law, the following words and expressions shall have the 
meanings given belo'w, unless otherwise required by the context: 
Author: the natural person who created the work. 
"Vork: any created literary, scientific or artistic work. 
Audiovisual ,York: any work made to be listened to and watched simultaneously, which 
consists of a series of related images with accompanying sounds recorded on an appropriate 
medium, to be displayed through appropriate devices. 
Collective ,York: a 'work created by a group under the direction of a natural person or legal 
entity in such a way that the individual contributions to the 'work are indistinguishable from 
each other. The natural person who or legal entity which directed and organized the creation 
of this work shall alone have the right to exercise the author's rights in such a ·work. 
Joint ,York: a work created by more than one person. \Vhere it is impossible to distinguish 
the contribution of each one in the joint work from that of the others, all shall be equally 
considered o\vners of the work, unless otherwise agreed. Where the individual contributions IPINI1 IOMNfC/l 
Page 4 
to the work are distinguishable, each shall have the right, unless otherwise agreed, to exploit 
alone his contribution without prejudice to the exploitation of the joint work. 
Translation: the expression of a work in a language other than that of the original text. 
Publication: making copies of a work or a sound recording available to the public vvith the 
consent of the author or the producer of the sound recording, in a quantity that reasonably 
satisfies the public needs, through sale, rental or otherwise transfer of ownership, possession 
of a work, sound recording or right to use such work or sound recording. Pubfication also-
means making a copy of a work or a sound recording available to the public by any electronic 
medium. 
Computer programs: a set of expressions and instructions expressed in any language, code 
or scheme, for direct OT indirect use in computers with the aim to achieve specific results. 
Folklore: literary, artistic or scientific works created in Oman by popular groups expressing 
their cultural identity, which are transferred from generation to generation and represent a 
fundamental element in the national popular traditional heritage. The competent authority 
shall exercise t-he author's rights in works of folklore to object to any mutilation, modification 
or unlawful commercial exploitation. 
CHAPTERII 
SCOP-E OF PROTECTION 
Article 2: 
Protection under this Law shall be enjoyed by authors of created literary, scientific, 
artistic and cultural works in general, regardless of the value, type, method of expression or 
objective of such works. Such protection shall extend in particular to authors of (a) boo~s, computer programs and other written material. 
(b) oral works such as lectures, speeches and sennons. 
(c) dramatic and dramatico-musical works. 
(d) musical works, with or without accompanying words. 
(e) choreographic works and pantomimes. 
(f) aural and audiovisual works. IP/NI 1 IOMN/CI 1 
Page 5 
(g) drawings, paintings, works of architecture, sculpture, engraving, and ornamental 
works. 
(h) works of applied arts, whether handicraft or industrial. 
(i) illustrations, maps, plans, sketches, truee-dimensional works relative to 
geography or topography, architecture and science. 
G) folklore. 
(k) title of the work, where such title is creative and is not a common tenn 
identifying the subject of the work. 
Article 3: 
Protection under this Law shall be enjoyed by 
Ca) anyone who translates into another language, summarizes, modifies, adapts or 
transforms the \-vork in such a manner as to appear in a new form. 
Cb) collections of works, expressions of folklore from popular traditional heritage, 
anthologies and data bases, provided that such collections are creative by 
reason of their arrangement or selection of their contents. IPINIlIOMN/CIl 
Page 6 
Protection provided for in the foregoing paragraphs shall be without prejudice 
to protection enjoyed by authors of the original works and their successors in 
title. 
Article 4: 
Without prejudice to the provisions of Articles 2 and 3, protection shall Bot extend to 
(a) international treaties, court decis·ions, official documents as well as official translations 
thereof. 
(b) published, broadcast or publicly reported news. 
(c) works which have fallen in the public domain. 
CHAPTERIII 
AUTHOR'S RIGHTS 
Article 5: 
Authorrs rights include 
(a) Moral rights 
(i) to claim authorship of the work or publish it under a pseudonym or 
anonymously. 
(ii) to object to any deletion, change, addition or any other modification of 
the work without the author's consent. IP INIlIO rvrN/CIl 
Page 7 
The rights set out in the foregoing items may not be assigned, disposed of or subject to 
prescription. 
Cb) Economic rights: 
(i) reproduction of the work by any means. 
(ii) translation into another language, summary, adaptation or other 
transformation of the work. 
(iii) public performance or communication to the public of the work by any 
means. 
(iv) any commercial exploitation of the work, including rental of the 
original or copies of the work. 
CHAPTER IV 
FREE USE OF PROTECTED WORKS 
Article 6: 
The folIo"wing uses of works shall be lawful even without the consent of the author 
provided that the source and the name of the author are clearly indicated: 
Ca) quoting paragraphs from the work in another work for clarification, 
explana,tion or criticism purposes, provided that such quotations comply with 
common practice and are justified by the goal to be achieved. 
Cb) exploitation of the work for teaching purposes by way of illustration, in 
publications, radio or television broadcast, cinematographic 'Nork, for TPfNI1/0MN/C/1 
Page 8 
educational or teaching purposes, within the limits required by the goal to be 
achieved. 
(c) reproduction of protected works by public libraries, non-commercial 
documentation centers, educational establishments and scientific and cultural 
institutions, provided that such reproduction and the number of copies are 
limited to the needs of their activities and serve their purposes and that such 
reproduction does not cause prejudice to the legitimate interests of the author. 
(cl) reproduction or publication by a newspaper or periodical of articles on current 
political, economic or religious topics, or broadcast of similar nature. 
(e) publication of addresses, lectures and speeches delivered in legal proceedings 
or any other work of the same nature, delivered in public. The aut.l}or shaH have 
alone the right to publish such works in one publication or by the means he 
chooses. 
(t) use of the work exclusively for personal and private purposes through 
reproduction, translation, quotation, musical arrangement, perfonnance, radio 
listening or television watching or transfonnation in any other fOnTI. 
(g) mention of the work in the course of a radio or television broadcast on current 
events._ CHAPTER V 
TERM OF COPYRIGHT PROTECTION 
Article 7: IPINlllOMN/C/l 
Page 9 
The author's economic rights shall last throughout the lifetime of the author and for 
fifty years, under the Gregorian calendar, from the b~ginning of the first year after his death. 
In the case of a joint work, the term shall be fifty years, under the Gregorian calendar, 
from the first year after the death of the last surviving author. 
Article 8: 
The term of protection of the author's economic rights in the following works shall be 
fifty years, under the Gregorian calendar, from the date on w~ich such works were first 
published: 
(a) cinematographic works, works of applied arts and photographic works. 
Cb) works published under a, pseudonym or anonymously, unless the author's 
identity is revealed during that period. 
Cc) works published for the first time posthumously. 
Article 9: 
If a works consists of several parts published separately and at intervals, each part 
shall be considered an independent work for computing the term of protection. lPlNllIOMN/CIl 
Page 10 
CHAPTER VI 
TRANSFER OF AUTHOR'S RIGHTS 
Article 10: 
The author or holder of the author's rights may transfer the economic rights in the 
work, in whole or in part, for free or against compensation. Such act shall be made by a 
written contract specifying explicitly and in detail each right subject to the act with an 
indication of the scope, objective, period and place of exploitation and, if any, the 
compensation. 
Article 11: 
U'nless otherwise bequeathed, the individual or collective rights of authors shall 
.. 
devolve, after their death, onto their legitimate heirs. 
CHAPTER VII 
DEPOSIT OF WORKS 
Article 12: 
The right holder in a literary, artistic or scientific \-vork may deposit at his own 
expenses a single copy of the work with the Ministryof Commerce and Industry. Such 
deposit shall be considered a presumption of ownership and shall be published in the manner 
prescribed by the Regulations~ IPIN/l/OMN/CIl 
Page 11 
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry shall issue a decision determining the deposit' 
system and due fees. 
These provisions shall not apply to works published in newspapers or periodicals 
unless such works are published separately. 
CHAPTER VIII 
MEANS FOR THE PROTECTION OF AUTHOR'S RIGHTS 
Article 13: 
Author's rights may not be seized pursuant to a court decision. However, copies of a 
published work may be seized. Works the owners of which die before publication may not be 
seized unless it is proven beyond any doubt that those owners intended to publish those works 
before their death. 
Article 14: 
Upon request from the author, ovmer of the author's rights or their successors in title, 
. the competent court may decide to order that the following coservative measures be taken: 
Ca) put an end to the infringement of any right protected under this Law. 
(b) seize infringing copies of the work and material used to make those copies. IPfNl1 IOMN/C/l 
Page 12 
(c) prove the existence of a public perfonnance in case of execution, 
representation or public recitation of a work, and discontinue or prevent the 
display of the show. 
(d) designate an official receiver for the work under conflict, who shall be 
responsible for the republication, presentation, manufacturing or making of 
copies of the work; the resulting proceeds shall be deposited with the Court 
treasury. Such receivership shall cease by agreement between the concerned 
parties or by a court decision. 
(t) designate an expert to assess the proceeds of such publication or presentation, 
where necessary, and seize the income in all cases. 
The plaintiff shall file an action on the merits of the case with the court within the 
following fifteen days, for a decision on the merits and appropriate damages to be granted.· 
Otherwise, the measures shall cease to have effect. 
CHAPTER IX 
PROTECTION OF PERFORMERS, PRODUCERS OF SOUND RECORDINGS 
AND BROADCASTING ORGANIZATIONS 
ArtiCle 15: 
"Performers" mean actors, singers, musicians, dancers and other persons who deliver, 
declaim or play music in literary or artistic works, whether such works are protected or have 
fallen in the public domain. Article 16: IP/NIlIOrvrN/C/l 
Page 13 
Perfonners shall enjoy the following rights: 
(a) Moral rights: 
(i) to be identified as such with respect to their performances. 
(ii) to obj ect to any distortion, mutilation or any modification of their 
performances. 
Cb) Economic rights: 
(i) to broadcast or communicate to the public their unfixed performance. 
(ii) to fix or record their unfixed performance. 
(iii) to reproduce sound recordings containing an unauthorized fixation of 
their performances. 
(iv) to rent sound recordings containing their performances. 
Article 17: 
(a) A producer of a sound recording is the natural person who or legal entity that 
undertakes the making of the recording under his or its name and responsibility. 
-Cb) A sound recording is any materially fixed recording that consists of sounds, 
whether or not such sounds result from an artist's performance excluding, however, the sound 
track that accompany an audiovisual work. IP/NIlIOMN/C/l 
Page 14 
Article 18: 
Producers of sound recordings shall enjoy the following rights: 
(a) direct or indirect reproduction of their recordings. 
(b) rental of recordings-. 
Article 19: 
The tenn of protection of the rights of perfonners and producers of sound recordings 
shall be fifty years, under the Gregonan Calendar, from the beginning of the first year after 
the starting date of the recording, fixation or perfonnance, as the case may be. 
Article 20: 
Broadcasting organizations shall enjoy the following rights in their broadcast: 
Ca) fixation or recording of their broadcast and reproduction of such recordings. 
(b) rebroadcasting of the broadcast by wireless means and communication of sucb 
broadcast to the public. 
Article 21: 
The term of protection of the rights of broadcasting organizations shall be twenty 
years, under the Gregorian Calendar, from the beginning of the first year following the year 
when the recording or fixation was made. Article 22: IP /NI 110 MN/CIl 
Page 15 
The provisions of Articles 6, 13, 14 and 15 shall apply to the rights of perfonners, 
producers of sound recordings and broadcasting organizations, without prejudice to the nature 
of those rights. 
Article 23: 
Infringement of any moral or economic right of authors or holders of related rights 
under this Law shall be punished by imprisonment for a maximum period of two years, by a 
maximum fine of two thousand Omani Rials or both. In particular, any of the following acts 
shall be c-onsidered infringements: 
Ca) selling or making available, by any means, a work protected under the 
provisions of this Law. 
Cb) imitating in Oman a \-vork published abroad, or knowingly making available, 
exporting or shipping abroad such imitation. 
(c) communicating or making available to the public, a performance, broadcast or 
sound recording through a computer network for commercial purposes. 
(d) illicit removal or alteration of any technical protection intended to regulate or 
limit public access to the work, perfonnance, broadcast or recording, or 
distribution, import for distribution purposes, broadcasting or making available 
to the public of the above, provided that the person \vho commits the act knows 
or has grounds to know the committed infringement. IP/NIl/OMN/CIl 
Page 16 
CHAPTER X 
FINAL CLAUSES 
Article 24: 
The provisions of this Law shall apply to 
(a) works of Omanis or foreigners whose works, perforIilances or sound 
recordings are published for the first time in Oman or a foreign country. 
(b) works, perfonnances, sound recordings and related rights eXIsting when this 
Law becomes effective; the calculation of the term of protection of such works 
shall include the elapsed period from the date of the specific event when the 
tenn of protection started to the effective date of this Law. 