Summary
Copyright Law No. 22 for the year 1992 (and its amendments of 1998, 1999 and 2005) governs the protection of copyright and related rights in Jordan.
Protection covers original works of literature, art and science no matter what their type, importance or purpose is. This includes works of art expressed in writing, sound, drawing, photography and motion, such as books, speeches, plays, musical compositions, films, applied art, 3-D works and computer software.
Jordanian publishers seeking protection of copyrightable works have to deposit four copies of the work with the National Library at the Ministry of Culture. The duration of protection for copyrighted material is the lifetime of the author plus 50 years following his/her death. The rights of performers and producers of phonograms shall be protected for 50 years, while the rights of broadcasting organizations shall be protected for 20 years.
The Ministry of Culture reserves the right to allow publication of the work of art, if the copyright holder has not done so, or if his/her heirs do not publish it within 6 months of being informed to do so in writing. In this case, the Ministry of Culture will provide the copyright holder or the heirs with fair compensation.
Infringements of the law are prosecuted before the Civil Court of Jordan.
Jordan is a member of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works.