Selected year snapshot
For 1999, the active event in this file is Höfundalög nr. 73/1972.
60%
Current rationale
As of 1990-01-01, the most permissive research-relevant exception in the Icelandic Copyright Act was Art. 11 (private copying), which permitted any person to make copies of a published work for private use only. This covers reproduction of full works, all types of works, but is restricted to individuals acting privately ('einkanota eingöngu' = private use only). It does not authorize sharing or communication. Art. 12 provided for institutional copying by libraries, archives, museums and educational institutions, but only under conditions set by regulation and not for general distribution — this is narrower in practice. Art. 14 permitted quotation in accordance with proper usage and to the extent warranted by the purpose, which is a quotation right (RED individually as it does not permit full-work reproduction). Art. 11 is the most permissive exception: it covers full works, any type of work, but only for private/personal use by individuals, and does not cover sharing. This maps to LIGHT BLUE. Non-commercial restriction is classification-neutral. The exact text of Art. 11 as in force on 1990-01-01 could not be verified in its precise 1990 wording; the earliest accessible consolidated English text (pre-2006 amendments) is used. The Icelandic original text from the WIPO Lex Icelandic consolidated version confirms the provision.
Exceptions considered
Permits any person to make copies of a published work for private use only.
Permits archives, libraries, museums and educational institutions to make copies of works for use in their activities, under conditions set by regulation, not for financial gain.
Permits quotation from a published work in accordance with proper usage and to the extent warranted by the purpose.
Permits reproduction and distribution of copies of published works specially intended for use by the blind, visually impaired, deaf, reading-impaired or others who due to disability are unable to read printed material.
Law changes
Höfundalög nr. 73/1972
Baseline · Effective 1990-01-01
60%
Relevant section: Art. 11, Art. 12
Dates: Effective 1990-01-01 · Enacted 1972-05-29
Why this score
As of 1990-01-01, the most permissive research-relevant exception in the Icelandic Copyright Act was Art. 11 (private copying), which permitted any person to make copies of a published work for private use only. This covers reproduction of full works, all types of works, but is restricted to individuals acting privately ('einkanota eingöngu' = private use only). It does not authorize sharing or communication. Art. 12 provided for institutional copying by libraries, archives, museums and educational institutions, but only under conditions set by regulation and not for general distribution — this is narrower in practice. Art. 14 permitted quotation in accordance with proper usage and to the extent warranted by the purpose, which is a quotation right (RED individually as it does not permit full-work reproduction). Art. 11 is the most permissive exception: it covers full works, any type of work, but only for private/personal use by individuals, and does not cover sharing. This maps to LIGHT BLUE. Non-commercial restriction is classification-neutral. The exact text of Art. 11 as in force on 1990-01-01 could not be verified in its precise 1990 wording; the earliest accessible consolidated English text (pre-2006 amendments) is used. The Icelandic original text from the WIPO Lex Icelandic consolidated version confirms the provision.
Exceptions considered
Permits any person to make copies of a published work for private use only.
Permits archives, libraries, museums and educational institutions to make copies of works for use in their activities, under conditions set by regulation, not for financial gain.
Permits quotation from a published work in accordance with proper usage and to the extent warranted by the purpose.
Permits reproduction and distribution of copies of published works specially intended for use by the blind, visually impaired, deaf, reading-impaired or others who due to disability are unable to read printed material.
Original text
Heimilt er hverjum manni að gera eintök af birtu verki til einkanota eingöngu.
English rendering
[Unofficial translation]: It shall be permissible for any person to make copies of a published work for private use only.
Source links
Lög nr. 9/2006 um breytingu á höfundalögum, nr. 73/1972
Relevant update · Effective 2006-03-11
60%
Relevant section: Art. 10a (new), Art. 11 (amended), Art. 12 (amended), Art. 19 (amended)
Dates: Effective 2006-03-11 · Enacted 2006-02-28
Why this score
Act No. 9/2006 (transposing EU Directive 2001/29/EC, the InfoSoc Directive) made several changes: (1) Added new Art. 10a exempting temporary reproductions that are transient or incidental and an integral part of a technological process (not directly research-relevant). (2) Amended Art. 11 on private copying: changed 'any person' ('hverjum manni') to 'individuals' ('einstaklingum') and added the condition that copying must not be done for financial purposes. This slightly narrowed the private copying provision by clarifying it applies to individuals (not legal persons) and excluding financial purposes. (3) Amended Art. 12 on institutional copying to add non-financial-purpose requirement. (4) Amended Art. 19 on copies for disabled persons. The most permissive research-relevant exception remains Art. 11: it permits individuals to reproduce full works of any type for private use only, not for financial gain, and copies may not be used for any other purpose. This does not cover sharing/communication. This remains LIGHT BLUE. The non-commercial restriction is classification-neutral. Art. 12 (institutional) remains PURPLE. Art. 14 (quotation) remains RED.
Exceptions considered
Permits individuals to make copies of a published work for private use only, not for financial purposes. Copies may not be used for any other purpose.
Exempts temporary, transient or incidental reproductions that are an integral part of a technological process enabling lawful use or network transmission, with no independent economic significance. Does not apply to computer programs or databases.
Permits archives, libraries, museums and educational institutions to make copies of works for use in their activities under regulation, not for financial gain. Copies may not be lent or published outside the institution without author consent.
Permits quotation from a published work in accordance with proper usage and to the extent warranted by the purpose.
Permits reproduction and distribution of copies of published works for blind, visually impaired, deaf, reading-impaired persons, not for financial gain.
Original text
Heimilt er einstaklingum að gera eintök af birtu verki til einkanota eingöngu, enda sé það ekki gert í fjárhagslegum tilgangi. Ekki má nota slík eintök í neinu öðru skyni.
English rendering
[Unofficial translation]: It shall be permissible for individuals to make copies of a published work for private use only, provided that this is not done for financial purposes. Such copies may not be used for any other purpose.
Source links
Lög nr. 109/2016 um breytingu á höfundalögum, nr. 73/1972 (einkaafritun)
Relevant update · Effective 2016-10-22
60%
Relevant section: Art. 11 (amended)
Dates: Effective 2016-10-22 · Enacted 2016-10-19
Why this score
Act No. 109/2016 amended the private copying provisions (Art. 11) relating to the private copying levy system. The core text of Art. 11 paragraph 1 regarding the right of individuals to make copies for private use remained substantively the same. The amendment primarily addressed the compensation mechanism (levy on storage media) rather than the scope of the exception itself. The most permissive research-relevant exception remains Art. 11: individuals may reproduce full works of any type for private use only, not for financial gain. No sharing/communication is permitted. This remains LIGHT BLUE. The levy/remuneration mechanism is classification-neutral.
Exceptions considered
Permits individuals to make copies of a published work for private use only, not for financial purposes. Copies may not be used for any other purpose. Includes updated levy provisions.
Exempts temporary, transient or incidental reproductions integral to a technological process enabling lawful use or network transmission, with no independent economic significance.
Permits archives, libraries, museums and educational institutions to make copies for use in their activities under regulation, not for financial gain.
Permits quotation from a published work in accordance with proper usage and to the extent warranted by the purpose.
Original text
Heimilt er einstaklingum að gera eintök af birtu verki til einkanota eingöngu, enda sé það ekki gert í fjárhagslegum tilgangi. Ekki má nota slík eintök í neinu öðru skyni.
English rendering
[Unofficial translation]: It shall be permissible for individuals to make copies of a published work for private use only, provided that this is not done for financial purposes. Such copies may not be used for any other purpose.
Source links
Höfundalög nr. 73/1972 (as amended through Act No. 88/2019 and Act No. 53/2019)
Current law confirmation · Effective 2025-01-01
60%
Relevant section: Art. 11, Art. 12, Art. 10a, Art. 14
Dates: Effective 2025-01-01
Why this score
As of 2025, the Icelandic Copyright Act No. 73/1972 (as last amended by Act No. 88/2019, in force 1 January 2020) remains the governing copyright statute. The most permissive research-relevant exception is Art. 11, which permits individuals to make copies of a published work for private use only, not for financial purposes. This covers: (1) Uses: reproduction only — no sharing, communication, or distribution is authorized; (2) Works: all types of published works (no category exclusions); (3) Users: individuals only ('einstaklingum'). There is no general fair use, fair dealing, or open-ended research exception in Icelandic law. There is no TDM-specific exception. Art. 12 provides institutional copying for libraries, archives, museums and educational institutions but is more restrictive (PURPLE). Art. 14 provides quotation rights only (RED). Art. 10a covers only temporary/transient reproductions in technological processes (RED). Iceland has not yet transposed EU Directive 2019/790 (DSM Directive) which would introduce TDM exceptions; as an EEA member, Iceland would need to implement it through the EEA Agreement process, but as of the latest verified consolidated text (October 2020 consolidation on WIPO Lex), no TDM exception has been enacted. The non-commercial restriction on Art. 11 is classification-neutral. The classification is LIGHT BLUE: full-work reproduction permitted for any type of work, but restricted to individuals for private use, with no sharing permitted.
Exceptions considered
Permits individuals to make copies of a published work for private use only, not for financial purposes. Copies may not be used for any other purpose.
Exempts temporary, transient or incidental reproductions integral to a technological process enabling lawful use or network transmission, with no independent economic significance. Does not apply to computer programs or databases.
Permits archives, libraries, museums and educational institutions to make copies of works for use in their activities under regulation, not for financial gain. Copies may not be lent or published outside the institution without author consent.
Permits quotation from a published work in accordance with proper usage and to the extent warranted by the purpose.
Permits reproduction and distribution of copies of published works for blind, visually impaired, deaf, reading-impaired persons, not for financial gain.
Original text
Heimilt er einstaklingum að gera eintök af birtu verki til einkanota eingöngu, enda sé það ekki gert í fjárhagslegum tilgangi. Ekki má nota slík eintök í neinu öðru skyni.
English rendering
[Unofficial translation]: It shall be permissible for individuals to make copies of a published work for private use only, provided that this is not done for financial purposes. Such copies may not be used for any other purpose.