Selected year snapshot
For 2005, the active event in this file is Law of the Republic of Armenia on Copyright and Neighboring Rights (1996).
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Current rationale
Armenia declared independence in 1991. Before that, Soviet copyright law applied. The first Armenian copyright law was adopted in 1996 (Law on Copyright and Neighboring Rights, adopted 8 January 1996, entered into force in 1996). I was unable to retrieve the full statutory text of the 1996 law via web search to verify the specific exceptions and limitations in force on 1990-01-01 or in the period 1990–1996. On 1990-01-01, Armenia was part of the USSR and Soviet copyright law (Fundamentals of Civil Legislation of the USSR, 1961, and the Armenian SSR Civil Code) would have applied. I could not retrieve the text of the Armenian SSR Civil Code's copyright provisions. The 1996 law is the earliest Armenian-specific copyright statute, but I could not access its full text to verify exceptions.
Law changes
Law of the Republic of Armenia on Copyright and Neighboring Rights (1996)
Baseline · Effective 1990-01-01
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Dates: Effective 1990-01-01
Why this score
Armenia declared independence in 1991. Before that, Soviet copyright law applied. The first Armenian copyright law was adopted in 1996 (Law on Copyright and Neighboring Rights, adopted 8 January 1996, entered into force in 1996). I was unable to retrieve the full statutory text of the 1996 law via web search to verify the specific exceptions and limitations in force on 1990-01-01 or in the period 1990–1996. On 1990-01-01, Armenia was part of the USSR and Soviet copyright law (Fundamentals of Civil Legislation of the USSR, 1961, and the Armenian SSR Civil Code) would have applied. I could not retrieve the text of the Armenian SSR Civil Code's copyright provisions. The 1996 law is the earliest Armenian-specific copyright statute, but I could not access its full text to verify exceptions.
Law of the Republic of Armenia on Copyright and Related Rights (2006)
Relevant update · Effective 2006-11-01
20%
Relevant section: Articles 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27
Dates: Effective 2006-11-01 · Enacted 2006-06-15
Why this score
The 2006 Law provides several research-relevant exceptions. Article 22 (free reproduction for personal purposes) permits reproduction of lawfully published works for personal purposes — which would include private study and research — but explicitly excludes: (a) architectural works, (b) databases or substantial parts, (c) computer programs, and (d) books in full and musical texts. This is a personal/private use exception covering reproduction only, open to any individual, but excluding several categories of works from full reproduction. Article 23 permits use of works for scientific and educational purposes but is limited to fragments/illustrations, not full works. Article 25 (library/archive exception) permits reproduction of 'individual articles and small-scale works, or short excerpts from written works' for study or research — this is limited to excerpts and articles, not full books. The most permissive exception for research is Article 22: it permits reproduction of full works for personal purposes (including research/study) by any individual, but excludes books in full, computer programs, databases, architectural works, and musical texts. Because full-work reproduction IS permitted for at least some types of works (e.g., journal articles, audiovisual works, photographs, etc.) but NOT for all types (books, computer programs, databases, architectural works, musical texts are excluded), this maps to ORANGE. The law does not permit sharing/communication of copies. Non-commercial restriction and single-copy limits are classification-neutral.
Exceptions considered
Free reproduction of a lawfully published work exclusively for personal purposes, excluding architectural works, databases, computer programs, full books, and musical texts
Free use of works for informational, scientific, educational and cultural purposes — permits use of fragments/illustrations in educational publications, quotation, etc.
Free reproduction by libraries and archives of individual articles, small-scale works, or short excerpts from written works, single copy, at request of a person for study or research
Quotation from lawfully published works for scientific, research, polemical, critical and informational purposes, to the extent justified by the purpose
English rendering
[Unofficial translation]: Article 22 – Free Reproduction of a Work for Personal Purposes: 1. It shall be permitted, without the consent of the author or other copyright holder and without payment of remuneration, to reproduce a lawfully published work exclusively for personal purposes, except for: (a) reproduction of works of architecture in the form of buildings and similar structures; (b) reproduction of databases or substantial parts thereof; (c) reproduction of computer programs, except as provided in Article 24; (d) reproduction of books (in full) and musical texts. Article 23 – Free Use of a Work for Informational, Scientific, Educational and Cultural Purposes: 1. It shall be permitted, without the consent of the author or other copyright holder and without payment of remuneration, but with obligatory indication of the name of the author and the source of borrowing, to: ... (2) use lawfully published works and fragments thereof as illustrations in publications, radio and television broadcasts, sound and video recordings of educational nature, to the extent justified by the purpose; (3) reproduce for classroom purposes in educational institutions, in the manner established by the Government of the Republic of Armenia, lawfully published works and fragments thereof; ... Article 25 – Free Reproduction of Works by Libraries and Archives: Libraries and archives shall have the right, without the consent of the author or other copyright holder and without payment of remuneration, to reproduce works in the following cases: (1) reproduction of lawfully published individual articles and small-scale works, or short excerpts from written works (with or without illustrations), in a single copy at the request of a natural person for the purposes of study or research, provided that ... (2) reproduction of individual articles and small-scale works published in collections, newspapers and other periodicals, and short excerpts from written works (with or without illustrations), in a single copy for the purpose of replacing lost, destroyed or rendered unusable copies ...
Source links
Law of the Republic of Armenia on Copyright and Related Rights (2006, as amended)
Current law confirmation · Effective 2025-03-08
20%
Relevant section: Articles 22, 23, 25
Dates: Effective 2025-03-08
Why this score
As of 2025, the Law on Copyright and Related Rights (adopted 15 June 2006) remains the governing copyright statute in Armenia, as confirmed by the Mondaq comparative guide (2025) and WIPO Lex. No TDM-specific exception has been introduced. The most permissive research-relevant exception remains Article 22 (free reproduction for personal purposes), which permits reproduction of full works for personal use (including private study and research) but excludes books in full, computer programs, databases, architectural works, and musical texts. Because full-work reproduction is permitted for some types of works but not all, this is ORANGE. Article 23 (quotation and educational use) and Article 25 (library/archive reproduction) remain limited to excerpts, fragments, or small-scale works and do not permit full-work reproduction, so they are RED individually. No exception permits sharing/communication of research copies. There is no general fair use or fair dealing clause, no three-step-test enabling clause, and no TDM exception. Classification-neutral factors (non-commercial restriction, single-copy limits, lawful-publication requirement) were not factored into the color decision.
Exceptions considered
Free reproduction of a lawfully published work exclusively for personal purposes, excluding architectural works, databases, computer programs, full books, and musical texts
Quotation from lawfully published works for scientific, research, polemical, critical and informational purposes, to the extent justified by the purpose
Use of lawfully published works and fragments as illustrations in educational publications/broadcasts; reproduction for classroom purposes
Free reproduction by libraries and archives of individual articles, small-scale works, or short excerpts from written works, single copy, at request of a person for study or research
English rendering
[Unofficial translation]: Article 22 – Free Reproduction of a Work for Personal Purposes: 1. It shall be permitted, without the consent of the author or other copyright holder and without payment of remuneration, to reproduce a lawfully published work exclusively for personal purposes, except for: (a) reproduction of works of architecture in the form of buildings and similar structures; (b) reproduction of databases or substantial parts thereof; (c) reproduction of computer programs, except as provided in Article 24; (d) reproduction of books (in full) and musical texts.