|
Brief
description of the notified legal text
The Copyright Act
1998 ("Act") of Samoa makes provision for the protection of
Copyright and other similar rights in Samoa. The Act also applies to works,
performances, sound recordings, and broadcasts created before the Act
commenced, as long as their copyright protection period has not expired under
Samoan law or the law of their country of origin, and if they are protected
by an international treaty Samoa is part of. The Act does not affect the
terms or validity of contracts made before the Act started.
Found
in the link above is the official version of the Act as at 31 December 2024,
revised pursuant to the Revision and Publication of Laws Act 2008. The
revision modernizes drafting and language, updates statutory references, and
incorporates minor editorial amendments. Key amendments under the Copyright
Amendment Act 2011, effective 11 October 2011, include:
• Insertion of definitions for "Broadcaster,"
"CEO," "Channel provider," "subscription broadcast,"
and "traditional cultural
expression"; repeal of "expression of folklore."
• New subsection 6(3) and new sections
8A–8F, 23A, 26A, 27A.
• Repeal of Sections 14 and 33;
substitution of Section 25(3) to update references to the Customs Act.
Further
amendments by the National Prosecution Office Act 2015 and Constitution
Amendment Act (No. 1) 2017 modified Section 27(4) regarding prosecutorial
authority.
|