Croatia

Zakon o autorskom pravu (1991 consolidated text based on 1978 law)

Baseline · Effective 1990-01-01

60%

Dates: Effective 1990-01-01

Why this score

Croatia declared independence on 25 June 1991 and initially continued to apply the Yugoslav Copyright Law of 1978 (Zakon o autorskom pravu, SFRJ) as inherited law. The 1978 Yugoslav law contained a private-use exception permitting reproduction of published works for personal use (lična upotreba) without authorization, and a quotation exception. The private-use exception covered reproduction of full works for personal/private purposes (including private study and research), but was limited to individual private use — not institutional or collaborative sharing. There was no general fair dealing, fair use, or TDM exception. The WIPO Lex record confirms a 'Copyright Law (consolidated text 1993)' for Croatia based on the inherited Yugoslav framework. The most permissive research-relevant exception was the private-use provision covering reproduction of full works by individuals for personal purposes. This maps to LIGHT BLUE: full-work reproduction permitted, but restricted to private/personal use by individuals, no sharing permitted. Non-commercial restriction is classification-neutral. I was unable to retrieve the full verbatim text of the 1978/1991 law via web search, so the excerpt fields are left empty.

Exceptions considered

Source links

• Official text ↗

Zakon o autorskom pravu i srodnim pravima (NN 167/2003)

Relevant update · Effective 2003-10-30

60%

Relevant section: Članak 82, Članak 83, Članak 84, Članak 86, Članak 87

Dates: Effective 2003-10-30 · Enacted 2003-10-22

Why this score

The 2003 Copyright and Related Rights Act replaced the inherited Yugoslav law. It introduced a comprehensive set of exceptions. The most permissive research-relevant exception is Art. 82 — private reproduction for personal use by natural persons, covering full works on any medium, but excluding entire books (unless out of print for 2+ years), sheet music, electronic databases, computer programs, and architectural works. This is restricted to natural persons for private (non-commercial) use, with no sharing/communication permitted. Art. 83 allows reproduction for internal purposes by natural or legal persons but only via photographic/reprographic techniques (paper or similar medium), which is narrower in medium. Art. 87 allows library/institutional copying but only for preservation/replacement purposes, not for research supply. There is no general fair dealing, fair use, or TDM exception. The private-use exception (Art. 82) is the most permissive for research: it permits full-work reproduction (with some work-type exclusions) by individuals for private purposes. The exclusion of entire books (unless out of print 2+ years), sheet music, databases, computer programs, and architectural works means certain categories are carved out. However, full-work reproduction IS permitted for many types of works (articles, shorter written works, audiovisual works, sound recordings, visual art, etc.). The user restriction to natural persons for private use is the binding constraint. This maps to LIGHT BLUE: reproduction of full works (for most work types) permitted, but restricted to private/personal use by individuals, no sharing. The work-type exclusions (books, sheet music, databases, programs, architecture) are notable but the private-use restriction is more binding in the color hierarchy. Non-commercial restriction is classification-neutral.

Exceptions considered

English rendering

Article 82 – Reproduction for Private and Other Personal Use: (1) A natural person may, without the authorization of the author and without payment of remuneration, reproduce a work on any medium, if the reproduction is made for private use and is not intended directly or indirectly for any commercial purpose. (2) The provision of paragraph (1) of this Article shall not apply to: 1. written works to the extent of the entire book, unless copies of the book have been sold out for at least two years; 2. graphic editions of musical works (sheet music), unless reproduction by hand-copying; 3. electronic databases; 4. computer programs; 5. works of architecture in the form of building or similar construction; 6. any other reproduction of a work if it would conflict with a normal exploitation of the work or would unreasonably prejudice the legitimate interests of the author. Article 83 – Reproduction for Other Internal Purposes: (1) A natural or legal person may, without the authorization of the author but subject to payment of fair remuneration, reproduce on paper or any similar medium by the use of any kind of photographic technique or by some other process having similar effects, a work which has been made available to the public, if such reproduction is made for its own internal purposes and does not serve directly or indirectly for the attainment of any commercial advantage. Article 86 – Reproduction and Distribution for the Purposes of Teaching: ... Article 87 – Reproduction by Libraries, Educational Establishments, Museums and Archives: (1) Publicly accessible libraries, educational establishments, museums and archives may, without the authorization of the author and without payment of remuneration, reproduce a work from their own copy, if the purpose of such reproduction is: 1. to preserve and protect the copy of the work; 2. to replace the damaged, destroyed or lost copy of the work; 3. to replace the copy of the work which has been lost, damaged or destroyed in the permanent collection of another similar institution.

Source links

• Official text ↗

Zakon o izmjenama i dopunama Zakona o autorskom pravu i srodnim pravima (NN 79/2007)

Relevant update · Effective 2007-08-07

60%

Relevant section: Članak 82, Članak 83, Članak 87

Dates: Effective 2007-08-07 · Enacted 2007-07-06

Why this score

The 2007 amendments (NN 79/2007, in force 7 August 2007) made adjustments to the Copyright and Related Rights Act but did not fundamentally alter the structure of the private-use exception (Art. 82) or the other research-relevant exceptions. The private-use exception for natural persons remained the most permissive research-relevant provision. The classification remains LIGHT BLUE for the same reasons as the 2003 baseline: full-work reproduction permitted for most work types, restricted to private/personal use by natural persons, no sharing.

Exceptions considered

Source links

• Official text ↗

Zakon o izmjenama i dopunama Zakona o autorskom pravu i srodnim pravima (NN 80/2011)

Relevant update · Effective 2011-07-13

60%

Relevant section: Članak 87a (new)

Dates: Effective 2011-07-13 · Enacted 2011-07-08

Why this score

The 2011 amendments (NN 80/2011, in force 13 July 2011) added Art. 87a, transposing Art. 5(3)(n) of the EU InfoSoc Directive 2001/29/EC, allowing libraries and similar institutions to communicate works on dedicated terminals for research or private study. However, this is limited to on-premises dedicated terminals and to institutional collections — it does not permit broader sharing or distribution. The private-use exception (Art. 82) remains the most permissive general research-relevant exception. Art. 87a adds an institutional communication right but only on dedicated terminals on premises, which is very narrow. The overall classification remains LIGHT BLUE: the most permissive exception for research remains Art. 82 (private reproduction by natural persons of full works for personal use).

Exceptions considered

English rendering

Article 87a – Communication to the Public by Publicly Accessible Libraries, Educational Establishments, Museums and Archives: (1) Publicly accessible libraries, educational establishments, museums and archives may, without the authorization of the author and without payment of remuneration, communicate to the public the works from their collections, by means of dedicated terminals on their premises, for the purpose of research or private study, provided that such works cannot be subject to purchase or licensing terms.

Source links

• Official text ↗

Zakon o autorskom pravu i srodnim pravima (NN 111/2021)

Relevant update · Effective 2021-10-22

60%

Relevant section: Članak 121, Članak 122, Članak 123, Članak 124, Članak 125, Članak 127, Članak 128, Članak 130, Članak 131

Dates: Effective 2021-10-22 · Enacted 2021-10-14

Why this score

The 2021 Copyright and Related Rights Act (NN 111/2021) replaced the 2003 Act entirely. It transposed EU Directive 2019/790 (DSM Directive), including TDM exceptions. Based on the known structure of the transposition: Art. 121 provides a TDM exception for research organizations and cultural heritage institutions (transposing DSM Art. 3) — permitting reproductions and extractions of lawfully accessed works for scientific research purposes. Art. 122 provides a general TDM exception (transposing DSM Art. 4) — permitting reproductions and extractions of lawfully accessed works for TDM by any person, subject to rightsholder opt-out. The private-use exception is continued (likely around Art. 125 or similar). The TDM exceptions cover reproduction and extraction but the DSM Directive Art. 3 transposition (Art. 121) is limited to research organizations and cultural heritage institutions. The general TDM exception (Art. 122, transposing DSM Art. 4) is open to any user but subject to opt-out by rightsholders and limited to reproduction/extraction (not communication/sharing of results beyond what is necessary for TDM). Neither TDM exception clearly permits sharing/communication of the reproduced works themselves. The private-use exception continues to permit full-work reproduction by natural persons for private purposes. Evaluating the most permissive exception: Art. 122 (general TDM) permits reproduction by any user of any work for TDM purposes — this is BLUE (reproduction of full works, any user, any work, but no sharing). However, the opt-out mechanism means rightsholders can exclude their works. Art. 121 (research TDM) has no opt-out but is limited to research organizations (PURPLE for user restriction). The private-use exception remains LIGHT BLUE. The general TDM exception (Art. 122) would be BLUE if the opt-out is treated as classification-neutral, but the opt-out mechanism means it is not unconditionally available for all works — rightsholders can reserve their rights. This is a substantive restriction on which works are covered, potentially making it ORANGE. However, by default the exception applies to all works unless opted out, which is different from a categorical exclusion. On balance, the most permissive reading: Art. 122 permits reproduction of full works by any user for TDM (BLUE), subject to opt-out. The private-use exception (LIGHT BLUE) is less permissive. The overall classification is BLUE if we treat the opt-out as not categorically excluding work types but rather as a conditional mechanism. However, since I cannot verify the exact verbatim text of these provisions, and the opt-out mechanism creates genuine uncertainty about whether full-work reproduction is unconditionally available, I classify as LIGHT BLUE to be conservative, with the private-use exception as the anchor. If the TDM provisions are confirmed to permit reproduction of full works by any user without categorical work-type exclusions (with opt-out being a licensing-like mechanism rather than a categorical bar), the classification could be BLUE.

Exceptions considered

Source links

• Official text ↗

Zakon o autorskom pravu i srodnim pravima (NN 111/2021)

Current law confirmation · Effective 2021-10-22

60%

Relevant section: Članak 121, Članak 122, Članak 125 (approx.), Članak 127 (approx.), Članak 130 (approx.), Članak 131 (approx.)

Dates: Effective 2021-10-22 · Enacted 2021-10-14

Why this score

As of 2025, the law in force is the Copyright and Related Rights Act (NN 111/2021). No subsequent amendments affecting research-relevant exceptions have been identified. The most permissive research-relevant exception for general research use remains the private-use exception (approximately Art. 125), which permits natural persons to reproduce full works for private purposes (with exclusions for entire books unless out of print, sheet music, databases, computer programs, and architectural works). The TDM exceptions (Arts. 121-122) add new capabilities: Art. 121 permits research organizations to reproduce and extract works for scientific research (PURPLE — institutional restriction); Art. 122 permits any person to reproduce and extract works for TDM subject to rightsholder opt-out (potentially BLUE but with opt-out uncertainty). Neither TDM exception clearly permits sharing/communication of the reproduced works. The overall classification is LIGHT BLUE, anchored on the private-use exception as the most reliably permissive provision for individual researchers. The TDM exceptions may provide additional rights for computational research but their scope (reproduction/extraction only, no communication) and the opt-out mechanism for Art. 122 do not clearly surpass the private-use exception's coverage for traditional research copying. Classification-neutral factors (non-commercial restriction, remuneration levies, lawful-access requirements) were not factored into the color decision.

Exceptions considered

Source links

• Official text ↗