Intellectual Property - EC Copyright Directive

The Italian law on copyright (Law of 22/04/41 no.633) has recently undergone extensive alteration as a result of European legislation. After the addition of the various regulations concerning the protection of software, the EC Directive 92/100/EC was implemented in Italy in November with the Legislative Decree no. 633/94, which introduced around twenty amendments and additions to the Law no.633.

Apart from various minor initiatives of coordination, adjustment and concentration of the legislation on this matter, the reform in question substantially concerns the harmonisation of the laws in force in the individual member states of the European Union according to the principle of the reservation of rights of hire and loan, and in which oscillations have been present in the case law of the various Member States.