User:Hansmuller/African copyright by object and by country

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On special request here a tentative and derivative overview of the copyright rules as of 9 November 2023 in Africa by type of work and country, extracted from Commons:Copyright rules by territory. For details please refer to the dedicated copyright pages by country which are hyperlinked below. The Commons:General disclaimer is valid here as well.
Note: This table could be made dynamic by obtaining the entries from Wikidata. Hansmuller (talk) 10:44, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

Legenda

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  • † = Limited international recognition of a country.
  • *‌ = Other region, e.g., dependency, union, or former country.
  • Govt. = Government
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Copyright protection expires on January 1th of the next calendar year following the calculated year number.

  • Create = Year of creation of a work.
  • Create/publish = Largest of the years of creation and publication.
  • Life = Year of decease of an author.
  • Publish = Year of publication of a work.

See also

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and

Table

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African copyright by type of work and by country
African country Texts Images Govt. documents Anonymous works Freedom
of panorama ?
Notes
Algeria Life + 50 years Create + 50 years Free Publish + 50 years Yes Traditional cultural heritage: non-free.
Ambazonia† => Refer to Cameroon
Angola Life + 70 years Life + 45 years Publish + 70 years Yes Applied art: Create + 45 years
Azawad => Refer to Mali
Benin Life + 70 years Publish + 70 years Official texts and translations: free Publish + 70 years No Applied art: Create + 25 years
Bir Tawil* - Unclear - - - - - -
Botswana Life + 50 years Publish + 50 years Official text of a legislative, administrative or legal nature: free Publish + 50 years No Applied art: Create + 25 years
British Indian Ocean Territory* Life + 50 years Life + 50 years Publish + 50 years
Burkina Faso Life + 70 years Publish + 70 years Create/publish + 70 years No. Yes only non-commercial Applied art: Create + 30 years
Burundi Life + 50 years Create/publish + 50 years Acts, legal decisions and decisions of administrative bodies and the official translations of such texts: free Create/publish + 50 years No Applied art: Create + 25 years
African country Texts Images Govt. documents Anonymous works Freedom
of panorama ?
Notes
Cameroon Life + 50 years Create/publish + 50 years Official instruments: free Publish + 50 years No Public domain and folklore: not free (!!)
Canary Islands*
Refer to Spain
Life + 70 years Life + 70 years Offical texts and translations: free Publish + 70 years Unclear
Cape Verde Life + 50 years Photo: Create + 25 years
Audiovisual: Life + 50 years
Disclose/Publish + 50 years No Applied art: Create + 25 years, Public domain non-free (!!)
Central African Republic Life + 50 years Photo: Create + 20 years
Audiovisual: Create/publish + 50 years
Laws, judicial or administrative decisions and translations: free Create/publish + 50 years No Applied art: Create + 20 years.
Ceuta*
Refer to Spain
Life + 70 years Life + 70 years Offical texts and translations: free Publish + 70 years Unclear
Chad Life + 70 years Create/publish + 50 years Official texts of a legislative, administrative or legal nature, or any translation: free Create/publish + 50 years No (Yes only Commons:De minimis) Applied art: Create + 25 years. Posthumous: Create/publish + 50 years. Public domain and folklore: not free (!!)
Comoros Life + 50 years Publish + 50 years Publish + 50 years No
Democratic Republic of the Congo Life + 50 years Publish + 25 years Publish + 50 years No Applied art: Create + 25 years
Djibouti Life + 50 years Photo: Create + 25 years
Audiovisual: Create / publish + 50 years
No (Yes: some film or television of public art.)
Egypt Life + 50 years Life + 50 years Publish + 50 years Yes Applied art: Publish + 25 years
African country Texts Images Govt. documents Anonymous works Freedom
of panorama ?
Notes
Equatorial Guinea Life + 80 years Life + 80 years No assumed
Eritrea Life + 50 years Life + 50 years No Posthumous: Publish + 50 years. Non-participant in the Berne Convention or Universal Copyright Convention.
Eswatini
(up to 2018 Swaziland)
Life + 50 years Create + 50 years Public display + 50 years No
Ethiopia Life + 50 years Photo: Creation + 25 years
Audiovisual: Create/publish + 50 years
Publish + 50 years No Non-participant in the Berne Convention or Universal Copyright Convention.
Gabon Life + 50 years Publish + 50 years Official texts and translations: free Publish + 50 years Yes Applied art: Publish + 50 years
The Gambia Life + 50 years Photo: Create + 50 years
audiovisual: Create/publish + 50 years
Create/publish + 50 years Yes Applied art: Create + 25 years. Folklore: not free.
Ghana Life + 70 years Audiovisual or sound: Publish or Create (max) + 70 years Publish/Create (max) + 70 years No Public domain and folklore: non-free
Guinea Life + 80 years Photo: Life + 40 years
Audiovisual: Publish + 80 years
Publish + 80 years No Applied art: Life + 40 years
Guinea-Bissau Life + 50 years Life + 50 years Publish + 50 years Yes for 3D objects
Ivory Coast
(Côte d'Ivoire)
Life + 70 years Audiovisual: Create/publish + 70 years Create/publish + 70 years No Posthumous: Death + 70 years
African country Texts Images Govt. documents Anonymous works Freedom
of panorama ?
Notes
Kenya Life + 50 years Create/publish + 50 years Publish + 50 years Yes
Lesotho Life + 50 years Photo: Create + 25 years
Audiovisual: Create/Publish + 50 years
Publish + 50 years No Applied art: Create + 25 years. Folklore: not free.
Liberia Life + 50 years Photo: Create + 50 years
Audiovisual: Create/Publish + 50 years
Publish + 70 years Create/publish + 50 years No probably Applied art: Create + 50 years
Libya Life + 25 years or publish + 50 years Life + 25 years or publish + 50 years Official documents: free Publish + 25 years No Privacy rights persons on photos. Photos and films with mere mechanical transmission of scenery: Publication + 5 years.
Madagascar Life + 70 years Life + 70 years Publish + 70 years No. Yes if public art or architecture not main subject
Madeira*
Refer to Portugal
Life + 70 years Life + 70 years Offical texts and translations: free Publish + 70 years Yes All photographs taken until 30 June 1970: free (!!). Court case: Landscape photograph: Ruled as without originality.
Malawi Life + 50 years Audiovisual: Create/publish + 50 years Create/publish + 50 years No. Yes noncommercial. Applied art: Publish + 25 years. Folklore: not free
Mali Life + 70 years Audiovisual: Create/publish + 70 years Create/publish + 70 years No Applied art: Create + 25 years
Mauritania Life + 70 years Photo: Creation + 70 years
Audiovisual: Create/publish + 70 years
Create/publish + 70 years Yes Applied art: Creation + 70 years. Traditional cultural heritage and national works: not free.
Mauritius Life + 50 years Audiovisual: Publish + 50 years Publish + 50 years No Applied art: Create + 25 years
African country Texts Images Govt. documents Anonymous works Freedom
of panorama ?
Notes
Mayotte*
Refer to France
Life + 70 years Life + 70 years Publish + 70 years No Posthumous: Publish + 25 years
Melilla*
Refer to Spain
Life + 70 years Life + 70 years Offical texts and translations: free Publish + 70 years Unclear
Morocco Life + 70 years Audiovisual: Create/publish + 70 years Create/publish + 70 years No Applied art: Create/publish + 70 years. Expressions of folklore: not free.
Mozambique Life + 70 years Audiovisual: Publish + 70 years Official texts free Publish + 70 years No Applied art: Create + 70 years
Namibia Life + 50 years Publish + 50 years Publish + 50 years Publish + 50 years No
Niger Life + 50 years Audiovisual: Create/publish + 50 years Publish + 50 years No, incidental, non-commercial use only. Applied art: Create + 25 years. Expressions of folklore: not free.
Nigeria Life + 70 years Photo and audiovisual: Publish + 50 years Publish + 70 years Publish + 70 years No
Puntland
Presumably the copyright laws of Somalia apply
Republic of the Congo Life + 50 years Photo: Create + 25 years
Audiovisual: Create + 50 years
Publish + 50 years No, but incidental use only for photography. Film and television: Only if public art not main subject. Public domain and folklore: not free
Rwanda Life + 50 years Life + 50 years Create/Publish + 50 years No Applied art: Create + 25 years. Public domain and expressions of folklore: not free.
African country Texts Images Govt. documents Anonymous works Freedom
of panorama ?
Notes
Réunion*
Refer to France
Life + 70 years Life + 70 years Publish + 70 years No Posthumous: Publish + 25 years
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic†. De facto position would appear to be that Moroccan copyright law applies to works from Western Sahara, or at least to works created west of the berm.
Saint Helena, Ascension
and Tristan da Cunha
*
Life + 50 years Photo: Publish + 50 years Publish + 50 years Posthumous: Publish + 50 years
Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean*
Refer to France
Life + 70 years Life + 70 years Publish + 70 years No Posthumous: Publish + 25 years
Senegal Life + 70 years Life + 70 years Create/publish + 70 years No
Seychelles Life + 50 years Audiovisual: Create/publish + 50 years Create/publish + 50 years Yes before August 1, 2014. No, on or after that date Applied art: Create + 25 years
Sierra Leone Life + 50 years Photo: Create + 50 years
Audiovisual: Create/publish + 50 years
Create/publish + 50 years No Applied art: Create + 25 years
Somalia Life + 30 years Life + 30 years Non-participant in the Berne Convention or Universal Copyright Convention.
Somaliland Life + 30 years Life + 30 years Publish + 30 years Posthumous: Publish + 30. Non-participant in the Berne Convention or Universal Copyright Convention.
South Africa Life + 50 years Photo: Publish + 50 years Publish + 50 years Publish + 50 years No
African country Texts Images Govt. documents Anonymous works Freedom
of panorama ?
Notes
South Sudan Life + 50 years Photo and audiovisual: Publish + 25 years Publish + 25 years No Posthumous: Publish + 25 years. Non-participant in the Berne Convention or Universal Copyright Convention.
Sudan Life + 50 years Photo and audiovisual: Publish + 25 years State emblems and symbols or official documents: free No Folklore: not free
São Tomé and Príncipe Life + 70 years Audiovisual: Life + 70 years Publish + 70 years Yes Collective: Publish + 70 years
Tanzania Life + 50 years Audiovisual: Create/publish + 50 years Create/publish + 50 years Yes, for audio-visual works outside of Zanzibar. No for photos outside of Zanzibar. In Zanzibar: No, except for photographs of public "folklore". Applied art: Create + 25 years
Togo Life + 50 years Photo: Life + 50 years
Audiovisual: Publish + 50 years
Publish + 50 years No, only film and television broadcasting of permanent public art, not photos Applied art: Life + 25 years. Folklore: not free.
Tunisia Life + 50 years Photo: Creation + 50 years
Audiovisual: Create/publish + 50 years
Publish + 50 years Yes Posthumous: Publish + 50 years. Folklore: not free.
Uganda Life + 50 years Photo: Creation + 50 years Official documents: free Publish + 50 years Yes
Western Sahara*
Refer to Commons:Copyright rules by territory/Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
Zambia Life + 50 years Audiovisual: Create/publish + 50 years Publish + 50 years No
Zimbabwe Life + 50 years Audiovisual: Create/publish + 50 years Create/publish + 50 years Yes Folklore: not free.
African country Texts Images Govt. documents Anonymous works Freedom
of panorama ?
Notes