Copyright in Qatar

For a copyright registration, it is important to submit documents which are:

• Power of attorney;
• Name of author(s);
• Subject of the work;
• Soft copy of the work;
• Detailed specification of the work; and
• Declaration of the ownership of the work

The economic rights shall be protected during the life of the Author and for fifty calendar years after his death. Protection for original, artistic or literary work shall be for the following durations:

• in the case of the work of joint authorship, the rights shall be protected for fifty calendar years from the date of the death of the last surviving co-author.
• in the case of audio-visual or collective work, the rights shall be protected for fifty years as from the date on which the work was first published. For works that are not published, the term of protection shall run from the first day of the calendar year after the completion date of the work.
• in the case of a work published under a pseudonym or published anonymously, the rights shall be protected for fifty calendar years from the first day of the calendar year following the date on which the work was first published. Nevertheless, where the pseudonym used by the author leaves no doubt as to the author’s identity, the term of protection shall be calculated as from the first calendar year following the author’s death. This provision applies where the author reveals his identity before the expiration of the protection period.

The sanctions for piracy or infringement activities were also set out in a proper way with statutory penalties of fines of up to QAR 100,000, i.e., USD $27,500 and/or imprisonment for up to one year.