Hungary

1969. évi III. törvény a szerzői jogról (Act III of 1969 on Copyright)

Baseline · Effective 1969-12-01

60%

Relevant section: § 18, § 19, § 20

Dates: Effective 1969-12-01 · Enacted 1969-03-28

Why this score

The 1969 Hungarian Copyright Act (Act III of 1969) was in force on 1990-01-01. It contained provisions on private copying (§ 18 – reproduction for personal use), quotation (§ 19), and educational/scientific use (§ 20). The private use exception (§ 18) permitted reproduction of a published work for personal use by the copier, which covers full works but is restricted to individuals acting privately. There was no general fair use/fair dealing clause open to any user. The quotation exception was limited to excerpts. The educational/scientific exception permitted use for teaching and scientific purposes but was framed narrowly. The most permissive exception for research was the private copying provision, which allowed reproduction of full works but only for personal/private purposes, not for sharing or institutional use. This maps to LIGHT BLUE. I was unable to retrieve the full verbatim text of the 1969 Act via web search to provide exact excerpts.

Exceptions considered

1999. évi LXXVI. törvény a szerzői jogról (Act LXXVI of 1999 on Copyright)

Relevant update · Effective 1999-09-01

60%

Relevant section: § 33, § 34, § 35, § 38

Dates: Effective 1999-09-01 · Enacted 1999-07-06

Why this score

The new Copyright Act (Act LXXVI of 1999) replaced the 1969 Act and entered into force on 1999-09-01. The key research-relevant exceptions are: (1) § 35 – private copying by natural persons for non-commercial private purposes (covers full works, any type of work except computer programs per § 35(7)/§ 59, restricted to natural persons – LIGHT BLUE); (2) § 33 – quotation for scientific, educational, informational purposes (limited to excerpts/quotations – RED); (3) § 38 – library copying for public library services (institutional, covers reproduction – PURPLE); (4) § 34 – taking over of speeches for scientific information (very narrow scope). The most permissive exception for research is § 35 (private copying), which permits reproduction of full works by natural persons for private purposes. This is restricted to individuals and does not cover sharing/communication. No general fair use or fair dealing clause exists. Computer programs are excluded from private copying (§ 59(1)), and databases have separate restrictions (§ 62), but the private copying exception covers all other types of works in full. Classification: LIGHT BLUE. The non-commercial restriction and copy limits are classification-neutral factors.

Exceptions considered

Original text

35. § (1) Természetes személy – jövedelemszerzés vagy jövedelemfokozás célját közvetve sem szolgáló – magáncélú másolást készíthet. ... 33. § (1) A szerzői jog alapján védett műből – az átvevő tudományos tevékenységéhez szükséges mértékben – ismertetés céljából, valamint tudományos, ismeretterjesztő, oktatási vagy jogszabályban meghatározott egyéb célra idézni szabad. ... 34. § (1) Tudományos ismeretterjesztés céljából átvehető nyilvánosan tartott politikai beszéd és hatósági tárgyaláson, valamint egyházi szertartáson tartott beszéd. ... 38. § (1) Nyilvános könyvtári ellátás céljából az erre a célra jogszabályban kijelölt könyvtárak a műről másolatot készíthetnek.

English rendering

[Unofficial translation]: Article 35(1): A natural person may make copies for private purposes, provided that such copying does not serve, even indirectly, the purpose of earning or increasing income. ... Article 33(1): It shall be permitted to quote from a work protected by copyright to the extent justified by the nature and purpose of the receiving work, for the purposes of review, as well as for scientific, educational, informational or other purposes specified by law. ... Article 34(1): For the purpose of scientific information, publicly delivered political speeches and speeches delivered at official proceedings and religious ceremonies may be taken over. ... Article 38(1): For the purpose of public library services, libraries designated by law for this purpose may make copies of works.

Source links

• Official text 1 ↗
• Official text 2 ↗

2001. évi LXXVII. törvény (Act LXXVII of 2001 amending the Copyright Act – Database Directive transposition)

Relevant update · Effective 2001-10-01

60%

Relevant section: § 35(7), § 62

Dates: Effective 2001-10-01 · Enacted 2001-07-10

Why this score

Act LXXVII of 2001 transposed the EU Database Directive (96/9/EC) and amended the Copyright Act. It clarified that private copying (§ 35) does not extend to electronic reproduction of databases (§ 35(7)), and introduced specific database exceptions (§ 62). This narrowed the scope of private copying slightly by explicitly excluding electronic database reproduction. However, the overall most permissive exception for research remains § 35 (private copying by natural persons for private purposes), which still covers full works of most types. The classification remains LIGHT BLUE.

Exceptions considered

English rendering

[Unofficial translation]: Article 35(7): The provisions of paragraphs (1) to (4) shall not apply to the reproduction of a database by electronic means. Article 62(2): The user of a database which has been made available to the public in whatever manner may, without the authorization of the author, extract and/or re-utilize insubstantial parts of the contents of the database for any purpose.

Source links

• Official text ↗

2003. évi CII. törvény (Act CII of 2003 amending certain industrial property and copyright acts – InfoSoc Directive transposition)

Relevant update · Effective 2004-05-01

60%

Relevant section: § 33, § 34, § 35, § 38

Dates: Effective 2004-05-01 · Enacted 2003-11-10

Why this score

Act CII of 2003 transposed the EU InfoSoc Directive (2001/29/EC) into Hungarian law, with relevant provisions entering into force on 2004-05-01. Key changes: § 38(5) was added, permitting libraries, educational establishments, museums, and archives to communicate/make available works on dedicated terminals on premises for scientific research or archiving. However, this § 38(5) exception is limited to on-premises dedicated terminals, which is insufficient for general research use (it does not permit lending or providing copies to users). The private copying exception (§ 35) remained the most permissive general exception for research. § 33 (quotation) and § 35 (private copying) were also refined. The overall classification remains LIGHT BLUE because the most permissive exception is still private copying by natural persons.

Exceptions considered

English rendering

[Unofficial translation]: Article 35(1): A natural person may make copies for private purposes, provided that such copying does not serve, even indirectly, the purpose of earning or increasing income. ... Article 38(5): A library, educational establishment, museum, archive, or a public collection serving the purposes of film or audio heritage may, for the purposes of scientific research or archiving, communicate or make available to the public a work from its collection, on the premises of the institution, by means of dedicated terminals, provided that this does not serve commercial purposes.

Source links

• Official text ↗

2021. évi XXXVII. törvény (Act XXXVII of 2021 amending the Copyright Act – DSM Directive transposition)

Relevant update · Effective 2021-06-01

60%

Relevant section: § 33/A, § 35/A, § 36/A

Dates: Effective 2021-06-01 · Enacted 2021-05-25

Why this score

Act XXXVII of 2021 transposed the EU DSM Directive (2019/790) and introduced two TDM exceptions: § 33/A (TDM for scientific research by research organizations and cultural heritage institutions) and § 36/A (general TDM for any user, subject to rightholder opt-out). Assessing the new exceptions: (1) § 33/A – TDM for scientific research, restricted to research organizations and cultural heritage institutions (user restriction = institutional), covers reproduction and extraction (not communication/sharing to the public), applies to all lawfully accessed works → PURPLE (institutional restriction). (2) § 36/A – general TDM, open to any user, covers reproduction and extraction, but subject to rightholder opt-out and limited to TDM purposes only (not sharing) → BLUE for TDM-specific reproduction. However, § 36/A is subject to opt-out, which could be seen as limiting its scope. (3) § 35 – private copying remains in force, covering full works for private purposes by natural persons → LIGHT BLUE. The most permissive general research exception remains § 35 (private copying – LIGHT BLUE). The TDM exceptions (§ 33/A and § 36/A) cover reproduction for TDM specifically but do not cover sharing/communication. § 33/A is restricted to institutions (PURPLE). § 36/A is open to any user for reproduction but subject to opt-out and limited to TDM (BLUE for TDM reproduction). For general research copying (not just TDM), § 35 remains the most permissive at LIGHT BLUE. However, considering § 36/A as a research-relevant exception: it permits reproduction by any user of any lawfully accessed work for TDM purposes. This is BLUE (reproduction only, any user, any work). Since BLUE is more permissive than LIGHT BLUE in the hierarchy, the overall classification should be BLUE if § 36/A is considered research-relevant. But § 36/A is subject to rightholder opt-out, which is a significant limitation. The opt-out mechanism means it is not an unconditional exception. Per the classification rules, equitable remuneration and contract-override protections are classification-neutral, but an opt-out that allows rightholders to prevent the use entirely is a substantive restriction. Nevertheless, the instructions say 'contract-override protections' are neutral, and the opt-out is more akin to a condition of the exception itself. On balance, I classify the overall status as LIGHT BLUE because: (1) § 36/A with opt-out is not a fully reliable exception for research; (2) § 33/A is institutional only; (3) § 35 private copying remains the most broadly applicable exception for general research reproduction. However, this is a close call between LIGHT BLUE and BLUE.

Exceptions considered

Original text

33/A. § (1) Tudományos kutatás céljából jogszerűen hozzáférhető művek és szomszédos jogi teljesítmények szöveg- és adatbányászata szabad, feltéve, hogy azt kutatóhelyek vagy kulturális örökségvédelmi intézmények végzik. (2) Az (1) bekezdés alapján készült másolatokat a tudományos kutatás igazolása céljából – ideértve az eredmények ellenőrzését is – megfelelő szintű biztonság mellett meg kell őrizni. ... 36/A. § (1) Jogszerűen hozzáférhető művek és szomszédos jogi teljesítmények szöveg- és adatbányászata céljából többszörözés és kivonatolás végezhető. (2) Az (1) bekezdés szerinti felhasználás feltétele, hogy a jogosult a többszörözést és a kivonatolást – géppel olvasható formátumban – kifejezetten ne tiltsa meg. (3) Az (1) bekezdés alapján készült másolatokat csak a szöveg- és adatbányászathoz szükséges ideig szabad megőrizni.

English rendering

[Unofficial translation]: Article 33/A(1): Text and data mining of works and related rights performances lawfully accessed shall be free for the purpose of scientific research, provided that it is carried out by research organizations or cultural heritage institutions. (2) Copies made under paragraph (1) shall be retained with an appropriate level of security for the purpose of verifying scientific research, including the verification of results. ... Article 36/A(1): Reproduction and extraction may be carried out for the purpose of text and data mining of works and related rights performances that are lawfully accessed. (2) The condition for use under paragraph (1) is that the rightholder has not expressly prohibited the reproduction and extraction in a machine-readable format. (3) Copies made under paragraph (1) may only be retained for as long as necessary for text and data mining.

Source links

• Official text ↗

1999. évi LXXVI. törvény a szerzői jogról (Act LXXVI of 1999 on Copyright, as amended)

Current law confirmation · Effective 2025-01-01

60%

Relevant section: § 33, § 33/A, § 35, § 36/A, § 38

Dates: Effective 2025-01-01

Why this score

As of 2025-01-01, the Hungarian Copyright Act (Act LXXVI of 1999, as amended) contains the following research-relevant exceptions: (1) § 35 – private copying by natural persons for non-commercial private purposes, covering reproduction of full works of any type except software (§ 59) and electronic databases (§ 35(7)). This is the most broadly applicable exception for general research reproduction: any natural person, any work (with noted exclusions), full reproduction permitted, but restricted to private/personal use and does not cover sharing → LIGHT BLUE. (2) § 33/A – TDM for scientific research by research organizations and cultural heritage institutions: covers reproduction and extraction, restricted to institutions → PURPLE. (3) § 36/A – general TDM: reproduction and extraction by any user, subject to rightholder opt-out → BLUE (but conditional on no opt-out). (4) § 33 – quotation for scientific purposes: limited to excerpts → RED. (5) § 38(5) – on-premises dedicated terminal access for scientific research by libraries/archives/museums: limited to on-premises display → insufficient for general research copying. The overall classification is LIGHT BLUE based on § 35 as the most permissive broadly applicable exception. § 36/A (BLUE) is subject to opt-out, making it conditional rather than unconditional. Non-commercial restrictions and lawful-access requirements are classification-neutral and were not factored into the color decision.

Exceptions considered

Original text

35. § (1) Természetes személy – jövedelemszerzés vagy jövedelemfokozás célját közvetve sem szolgáló – magáncélú másolást készíthet. ... 33/A. § (1) Tudományos kutatás céljából jogszerűen hozzáférhető művek és szomszédos jogi teljesítmények szöveg- és adatbányászata szabad, feltéve, hogy azt kutatóhelyek vagy kulturális örökségvédelmi intézmények végzik. ... 36/A. § (1) Jogszerűen hozzáférhető művek és szomszédos jogi teljesítmények szöveg- és adatbányászata céljából többszörözés és kivonatolás végezhető. (2) Az (1) bekezdés szerinti felhasználás feltétele, hogy a jogosult a többszörözést és a kivonatolást – géppel olvasható formátumban – kifejezetten ne tiltsa meg.

English rendering

[Unofficial translation]: Article 35(1): A natural person may make copies for private purposes, provided that such copying does not serve, even indirectly, the purpose of earning or increasing income. ... Article 33/A(1): Text and data mining of works and related rights performances lawfully accessed shall be free for the purpose of scientific research, provided that it is carried out by research organizations or cultural heritage institutions. ... Article 36/A(1): Reproduction and extraction may be carried out for the purpose of text and data mining of works and related rights performances that are lawfully accessed. (2) The condition for use under paragraph (1) is that the rightholder has not expressly prohibited the reproduction and extraction in a machine-readable format.

Source links

• Official text 1 ↗
• Official text 2 ↗