Copyright Act 1994

28 Copyright vesting in certain international organisations

• (1) Where an original work (being a literary, dramatic, musical, or artistic work or a film) is made by an officer or employee of, or is published by, an international organisation to which this section applies,—

  • (a) the work qualifies for copyright notwithstanding section 17(1); and

  • (b) the organisation is the first owner of any copyright in the work.

  (2) The copyright of an international organisation under this section shall expire,—

  • (a) in the case of a typographical arrangement of a published edition, at the end of the period of 25 years from the end of the calendar year in which the work is made or such longer period as may be specified for the purposes of this paragraph pursuant to subsection (5):

  • (b) in the case of any other work, at the end of the period of 50 years from the end of the calendar year in which the work is made or such longer period as may be specified for the purposes of this paragraph pursuant to subsection (5).

  (3) Subject to this section and to any other express provision of this Act, the provisions of this Act apply in relation to the copyright of an international organisation under this section.

  (4) An international organisation to which this section applies shall be deemed to have, and to have had at all material times, the legal capacities of a body corporate for the purposes of holding, dealing with, and enforcing copyright and in connection with all legal proceedings relating to copyright.

  (5) The Governor-General may from time to time, by Order in Council,—

  • (a) declare that any international organisation is an international organisation to which this section applies:

  • (b) for the purposes of complying with any international obligation of New Zealand, specify a period for the purposes of paragraph (a) or paragraph (b) of subsection (2).

  Compare: 1962 No 33 s 50; Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 s 168 (UK)