Selected year snapshot
For 2016, the active event in this file is Copyright Law No. 3 of 1971, as amended by CPA Order No. 83 of 2004.
60%
Current rationale
As of 2025, the Copyright Law No. 3 of 1971 as amended by CPA Order No. 83 of 2004 remains the governing copyright statute in Iraq. No subsequent amendment to the exceptions and limitations provisions has been identified through web search. The most permissive research-relevant exception remains Article 7(1)(b): 'Using the work exclusively for personal or private use.' This permits reproduction of full works by any individual for private/personal purposes, including private study and personal research. However, it does not authorize sharing, communication, or distribution, and is restricted to personal/private use. Article 7(2)(c) provides a library/institutional exception (PURPLE). Article 7(2)(b) is limited to short excerpts for education (RED). Article 7(1)(a) is a quotation exception (RED). There is no TDM-specific exception, no general fair use or fair dealing clause, and no open three-step-test enabling clause. The classification is LIGHT BLUE: full-work reproduction is permitted for private/personal use, but not for sharing, and the exception is restricted to individuals acting privately. Non-commercial restrictions and proportionality qualifiers were not factored into the color decision.
Exceptions considered
Publishing quotations, excerpts, or analyses for criticism, discussion, or information, with attribution, compatible with fair practice
Using the work exclusively for personal or private use
Reproduction of articles published in newspapers/periodicals on current topics, unless author reserved rights
Reproduction of short excerpts from a work for purposes of education and teaching
Reproduction by libraries, documentation centers, and non-commercial scientific institutions for their own use or for similar institutions
Law changes
Copyright Law No. 3 of 1971 (ูุงููู ุญู ุงูุฉ ุญู ุงูู ุคูู ุฑูู 3 ูุณูุฉ 1971)
Baseline ยท Effective 1990-01-01
60%
Relevant section: Articles 13, 14, 15
Dates: Effective 1990-01-01 ยท Enacted 1971-01-01
Why this score
The most permissive research-relevant exception is Article 13(2), which permits 'using the work for personal or private purposes.' This is a private/personal use exception that covers reproduction of full works but is restricted to individual private use โ it does not authorize sharing or institutional use. Article 14(2) only permits 'short excerpts' for education/teaching. Article 14(3) is a library/institutional exception permitting reproduction for libraries and non-commercial scientific institutions for their own use, which could be classified as PURPLE, but it is less permissive than the private use exception because it restricts users to institutions. Article 15 is limited to quotation of passages. Article 13(1) is limited to short quotations/excerpts. The private use exception in Article 13(2) is the most permissive: it covers full works and any user acting privately, but is limited to private/personal purposes and does not authorize sharing. This maps to LIGHT BLUE. Non-commercial restrictions and proportionality qualifiers were not factored into the color decision. Note: The Arabic text of the original law was available but partially illegible in the OCR'd PDF. The unofficial English translation is based on widely available secondary descriptions of the law's provisions consistent with the WIPO Lex record. The exact verbatim Arabic text could not be reliably extracted due to OCR quality issues.
Exceptions considered
Publishing short quotations, excerpts, or analyses for criticism, discussion, or information, with attribution
Using the work for personal or private purposes
Reproduction of short excerpts from a work for purposes of education and teaching
Reproduction by libraries, documentation centers, and non-commercial scientific institutions for their own use or for similar institutions
Quotation of passages from a published work, compatible with fair practice and justified by purpose
English rendering
[Unofficial translation]: Article 13: The author may not prevent others from doing the following acts: 1- Publishing short quotations, excerpts, or analyses from the work for purposes of criticism, discussion, or information, provided the source and the author's name are mentioned. 2- Using the work for personal or private purposes. Article 14: The following shall be permitted without the author's consent and without payment of compensation: 1- Reproduction of articles published in newspapers and periodicals on current topics of economic, political, or religious interest, unless the author has expressly reserved such right. 2- Reproduction of short excerpts from a work for purposes of education and teaching. 3- Reproduction of a work by libraries, documentation centers, and non-commercial scientific institutions, if such reproduction is made for their own use or for the use of other similar institutions, provided this does not prejudice the normal exploitation of the work. Article 15: The author may not prevent the quotation of passages from a published work, provided the quotation is compatible with fair practice and does not exceed the extent justified by the purpose.
Source links
Coalition Provisional Authority Order No. 83 โ Amendment to the Copyright Law (ุฃู ุฑ ุณูุทุฉ ุงูุงุฆุชูุงู ุฑูู 83)
Relevant update ยท Effective 2004-05-01
60%
Relevant section: Section 2, amending Articles 7โ9 of Copyright Law No. 3 of 1971
Dates: Effective 2004-05-01 ยท Enacted 2004-04-29
Why this score
CPA Order 83 restructured the Copyright Law, renumbering and consolidating the exceptions provisions. The substantive exceptions relevant to research remained materially similar. Article 7(1)(b) as amended permits 'using the work exclusively for personal or private use' โ this is the most permissive research-relevant exception. It covers full works but is restricted to personal/private use and does not authorize sharing. The word 'exclusively' arguably narrows the scope slightly compared to the pre-amendment text. Article 7(2)(b) permits only 'short excerpts' for education. Article 7(2)(c) permits library/institutional reproduction. Article 7(1)(a) is a quotation exception. The overall classification remains LIGHT BLUE: full-work reproduction is permitted for private/personal use by any individual acting privately, but sharing is not authorized and the exception is restricted to private purposes. The CPA Order also added provisions on computer programs (new Article 8) and databases, and extended the scope of protected works, but the exceptions structure for research purposes remained substantively the same. The English text of CPA Order 83 is an official English-language text issued by the Coalition Provisional Authority.
Exceptions considered
Publishing quotations, excerpts, or analyses for criticism, discussion, or information, with attribution, compatible with fair practice
Using the work exclusively for personal or private use
Reproduction of short excerpts from a work for purposes of education and teaching
Reproduction by libraries, documentation centers, and non-commercial scientific institutions for their own use or for similar institutions
Original text
Section 2 ... 3) Article 7 of the Law is amended to read as follows: "1. The author may not prevent others from doing the following acts: a. Publishing quotations, excerpts, or analyses from the work for purposes of criticism, discussion, or information, provided the source and the author's name are mentioned, and provided that such quotation is compatible with fair practice and does not exceed the extent justified by the purpose. b. Using the work exclusively for personal or private use. 2. The following shall be permitted without the author's consent and without payment of compensation: a. Reproduction of articles published in newspapers and periodicals on current topics of economic, political, or religious interest, unless the author has expressly reserved such right. b. Reproduction of short excerpts from a work for purposes of education and teaching. c. Reproduction of a work by libraries, documentation centers, and non-commercial scientific institutions, if such reproduction is made for their own use or for the use of other similar institutions, provided this does not prejudice the normal exploitation of the work."
Source links
Copyright Law No. 3 of 1971, as amended by CPA Order No. 83 of 2004
Current law confirmation ยท Effective 2004-05-01
60%
Relevant section: Article 7 (as amended by CPA Order 83)
Dates: Effective 2004-05-01 ยท Enacted 2004-04-29
Why this score
As of 2025, the Copyright Law No. 3 of 1971 as amended by CPA Order No. 83 of 2004 remains the governing copyright statute in Iraq. No subsequent amendment to the exceptions and limitations provisions has been identified through web search. The most permissive research-relevant exception remains Article 7(1)(b): 'Using the work exclusively for personal or private use.' This permits reproduction of full works by any individual for private/personal purposes, including private study and personal research. However, it does not authorize sharing, communication, or distribution, and is restricted to personal/private use. Article 7(2)(c) provides a library/institutional exception (PURPLE). Article 7(2)(b) is limited to short excerpts for education (RED). Article 7(1)(a) is a quotation exception (RED). There is no TDM-specific exception, no general fair use or fair dealing clause, and no open three-step-test enabling clause. The classification is LIGHT BLUE: full-work reproduction is permitted for private/personal use, but not for sharing, and the exception is restricted to individuals acting privately. Non-commercial restrictions and proportionality qualifiers were not factored into the color decision.
Exceptions considered
Publishing quotations, excerpts, or analyses for criticism, discussion, or information, with attribution, compatible with fair practice
Using the work exclusively for personal or private use
Reproduction of articles published in newspapers/periodicals on current topics, unless author reserved rights
Reproduction of short excerpts from a work for purposes of education and teaching
Reproduction by libraries, documentation centers, and non-commercial scientific institutions for their own use or for similar institutions
Original text
"1. The author may not prevent others from doing the following acts: a. Publishing quotations, excerpts, or analyses from the work for purposes of criticism, discussion, or information, provided the source and the author's name are mentioned, and provided that such quotation is compatible with fair practice and does not exceed the extent justified by the purpose. b. Using the work exclusively for personal or private use. 2. The following shall be permitted without the author's consent and without payment of compensation: a. Reproduction of articles published in newspapers and periodicals on current topics of economic, political, or religious interest, unless the author has expressly reserved such right. b. Reproduction of short excerpts from a work for purposes of education and teaching. c. Reproduction of a work by libraries, documentation centers, and non-commercial scientific institutions, if such reproduction is made for their own use or for the use of other similar institutions, provided this does not prejudice the normal exploitation of the work."