Mauritania

Ordonnance n° 73-118 du 2 juin 1973 portant protection du droit d'auteur

Baseline · Effective 1973-06-02

?

Dates: Effective 1973-06-02 · Enacted 1973-06-02

Why this score

Mauritania's first post-independence copyright law was Ordonnance n° 73-118 of 2 June 1973. This was the law in force on 1990-01-01. Despite extensive web searching, the full statutory text of this ordinance could not be located or verified online. WIPO Lex does not host the full text of this law. Without access to the actual provisions on exceptions and limitations, it is impossible to classify the status color with confidence. The law is known to have existed and to have been in force until its replacement in 2012, but the specific exception provisions cannot be verified from primary sources.

Loi n° 2012-038 du 17 juillet 2012 relative à la propriété littéraire et artistique

Relevant update · Effective 2012-07-17

0%

Relevant section: Articles 27, 28, 29, 30

Dates: Effective 2012-07-17 · Enacted 2012-07-17

Why this score

The 2012 law replaced the 1973 ordinance. Evaluating all research-relevant exceptions: (1) Article 27(2) provides a private use exception for reproductions intended for strictly personal and private use, but it excludes copies of works of art used for identical purposes and copies of computer programs (other than backup). This is a private-use exception. However, it does not explicitly limit reproduction to short extracts — it says 'reproductions' for strictly personal and private use. This could potentially cover full works. But it excludes computer programs and certain art copies. This would be ORANGE at best (private use with work exclusions). (2) Article 27(3)(a) permits only 'analyses and short quotations' — this is a quotation exception limited to short excerpts, not full works. (3) Article 28 permits reprographic reproduction for research, but only of 'an article or short extracts' of a work. This explicitly caps reproduction at articles or short extracts, not full works. (4) Article 29 permits library/archive copying but only of 'an article or a short work or a short extract of a writing.' This also caps at short works/extracts. The most permissive research-specific exception is Article 28, which is limited to 'an article or short extracts' — this is a quantity ceiling. However, Article 27(2) for private use says 'reproductions' without a quantity limit, which could cover full works for personal/private use, excluding computer programs and certain art copies. If Article 27(2) permits full-work reproduction for private use (with exclusions for computer programs and certain art), this would be ORANGE (full works permitted for some types but not all, restricted to private/personal use). But re-reading Article 27(2): 'les reproductions, traductions et adaptations destinées à un usage strictement personnel et privé et non destinées à une utilisation collective' — this permits reproductions for strictly personal and private use. The exclusions are for copies of works of art used for identical purposes and computer programs other than backup copies. This appears to permit full-work reproduction for private use of most work types, excluding computer programs and certain art copies. This would make it ORANGE (full works for some types, but not computer programs; restricted to private/personal users). However, the user restriction (strictly personal and private) would make it LIGHT BLUE, and the work exclusion (computer programs) would push toward ORANGE. Since ORANGE is more restrictive than LIGHT BLUE in the hierarchy, the classification would be ORANGE. But wait — the research-specific exception (Art. 28) only permits articles or short extracts. The private use exception (Art. 27(2)) permits full reproductions but only for strictly personal/private use. The most permissive path for a researcher: use Art. 27(2) for private study to reproduce a full work (excluding computer programs). This gives ORANGE (full works for most types but not computer programs, restricted to private users). Actually, re-examining: the exclusion of computer programs from private copying is a work-type restriction. Under the classification rules, if full-work reproduction IS permitted for at least some types of works but NOT for all types, this is ORANGE. The private/personal user restriction would normally yield LIGHT BLUE, but the work exclusion (computer programs) is more restrictive, yielding ORANGE. However, I need to reconsider: LIGHT BLUE (user restriction) vs ORANGE (work restriction). In the hierarchy GREEN > BLUE > LIGHT BLUE > PURPLE > ORANGE > RED, ORANGE is more restrictive than LIGHT BLUE. Since the exception has both a user restriction (private) and a work exclusion (computer programs), I classify by the most restrictive element, which is ORANGE. But actually, upon further reflection, the exclusion of computer programs from private copying is extremely common and narrow — it only excludes one category. The question is whether this is significant enough to warrant ORANGE. Per the rules: 'if a private-use or institutional exception permits full-work reproduction but carves out even one significant category of work, classify as ORANGE.' Computer programs are a significant category. Therefore ORANGE applies. Wait — but I should also consider whether Article 28's research exception, limited to 'an article or short extracts,' might be the ceiling for research use specifically. The private use exception (Art. 27(2)) is available for private study but is not labeled as a 'research' exception. Per the rules, I must consider ALL exceptions that could apply to a research use. A researcher acting privately could invoke Art. 27(2) to reproduce a full work for private study. This is the most permissive path. Classification: ORANGE (full works for most types except computer programs, private users only).

Exceptions considered

Original text

Article 27. Lorsque l'œuvre a été licitement publiée, l'auteur ne peut interdire :
1) les représentations ou exécutions privées effectuées exclusivement dans un cercle de famille;
2) les reproductions, traductions et adaptations destinées à un usage strictement personnel et privé et non destinées à une utilisation collective, à l'exception des copies des œuvres d'art destinées à être utilisées pour des fins identiques à celles pour lesquelles l'œuvre originale a été créée et des copies de programmes d'ordinateurs autres que les copies de sauvegarde;
3) sous réserve de la mention du nom de l'auteur et de la source :
a) les analyses et courtes citations justifiées par le caractère critique, polémique, pédagogique, scientifique ou d'information de l'œuvre à laquelle elles sont incorporées;
b) les revues de presse;
c) la diffusion, même intégrale, à titre d'information d'actualité, des discours destinés au public prononcés dans les assemblées politiques, administratives, judiciaires ou académiques, ainsi que dans les réunions publiques d'ordre politique et les cérémonies officielles;
d) les reproductions, intégrales ou partielles d'œuvres d'art graphiques ou plastiques destinées à figurer dans le catalogue d'une vente judiciaire effectuée en Mauritanie;
e) la parodie, le pastiche et la caricature, compte tenu des lois du genre.

Article 28. Nonobstant les dispositions de l'article 27, la reproduction reprographique d'un article ou de courts extraits d'une œuvre licitement publiée, est autorisée, à titre d'illustration de l'enseignement ou pour des recherches, dans la mesure justifiée par le but à atteindre, à condition qu'une telle reproduction soit un acte isolé sans lien avec des faits similaires et qu'elle ne porte pas atteinte à l'exploitation normale de l'œuvre ni ne cause un préjudice injustifié aux intérêts légitimes de l'auteur.

Article 29. Nonobstant les dispositions de l'article 27, toute bibliothèque ou tout service d'archives dont les activités ne visent pas directement ou indirectement un avantage commercial, peut, sans l'autorisation de l'auteur ou autre titulaire du droit d'auteur, faire une copie isolée d'une œuvre par reproduction reprographique :
1) lorsque l'œuvre reproduite est un article ou une courte œuvre ou un court extrait d'un écrit, autre qu'un programme d'ordinateur, accompagné ou non d'illustrations, publié dans une collection d'œuvres ou dans un numéro de journal ou de périodique, et lorsque cette reproduction a pour but de répondre à la demande d'une personne physique;
2) lorsque la copie est faite afin de préserver et, le cas échéant, de remplacer un exemplaire qui a été perdu, détruit ou rendu inutilisable dans la collection permanente de la bibliothèque ou du service d'archives, et qu'il est impossible de se procurer un tel exemplaire dans des conditions raisonnables.

English rendering

[Unofficial translation]: Article 27. When the work has been lawfully published, the author may not prohibit:
1) private performances carried out exclusively within a family circle;
2) reproductions, translations and adaptations intended for strictly personal and private use and not intended for collective use, with the exception of copies of works of art intended to be used for the same purposes as those for which the original work was created and copies of computer programs other than backup copies;
3) subject to mention of the author's name and source:
a) analyses and short quotations justified by the critical, polemical, pedagogical, scientific or informational character of the work in which they are incorporated;
b) press reviews;
c) the dissemination, even in full, for current news purposes, of speeches intended for the public delivered in political, administrative, judicial or academic assemblies, as well as in public meetings of a political nature and official ceremonies;
d) reproductions, in whole or in part, of graphic or plastic works of art intended to appear in the catalogue of a judicial sale carried out in Mauritania;
e) parody, pastiche and caricature, taking into account the laws of the genre.

Article 28. Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 27, the reprographic reproduction of an article or short extracts of a lawfully published work is authorized, for illustration of teaching or for research, to the extent justified by the purpose to be achieved, provided that such reproduction is an isolated act without connection to similar acts and that it does not prejudice the normal exploitation of the work nor cause unjustified harm to the legitimate interests of the author.

Article 29. Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 27, any library or archive service whose activities do not directly or indirectly aim at a commercial advantage may, without the authorization of the author or other copyright holder, make an isolated copy of a work by reprographic reproduction:
1) when the work reproduced is an article or a short work or a short extract of a writing, other than a computer program, with or without illustrations, published in a collection of works or in an issue of a newspaper or periodical, and when such reproduction is intended to meet the request of a natural person;
2) when the copy is made in order to preserve and, where appropriate, to replace a copy that has been lost, destroyed or rendered unusable in the permanent collection of the library or archive service, and it is impossible to obtain such a copy under reasonable conditions.

Source links

• Official text ↗

Loi n° 2012-038 du 17 juillet 2012 relative à la propriété littéraire et artistique

Current law confirmation · Effective 2012-07-17

20%

Relevant section: Articles 27, 28, 29

Dates: Effective 2012-07-17 · Enacted 2012-07-17

Why this score

As of 2025, Loi n° 2012-038 remains in force with no verified amendments to the exceptions and limitations provisions. The most permissive exception for research use remains Article 27(2), which permits full-work reproduction for strictly personal and private use (covering private study), but excludes computer programs (other than backup copies) and copies of works of art for identical purposes. This is a compound restriction: user restriction (strictly personal/private = LIGHT BLUE) and work-type exclusion (computer programs = ORANGE). Per the rules, the most restrictive element governs, yielding ORANGE. Article 28 (research-specific) is limited to articles or short extracts, which is RED. Article 29 (library exception) is similarly limited to articles, short works, or short extracts, which is RED. Article 27(3)(a) (quotation) is limited to short quotations, which is RED. No TDM exception exists. No fair use or fair dealing clause exists. No three-step-test general enabling clause exists. The non-commercial restriction in Art. 29 and the proportionality qualifiers in Art. 28 are classification-neutral factors and were not factored into the color decision.

Exceptions considered

Original text

Article 27. Lorsque l'œuvre a été licitement publiée, l'auteur ne peut interdire :
1) les représentations ou exécutions privées effectuées exclusivement dans un cercle de famille;
2) les reproductions, traductions et adaptations destinées à un usage strictement personnel et privé et non destinées à une utilisation collective, à l'exception des copies des œuvres d'art destinées à être utilisées pour des fins identiques à celles pour lesquelles l'œuvre originale a été créée et des copies de programmes d'ordinateurs autres que les copies de sauvegarde;
3) sous réserve de la mention du nom de l'auteur et de la source :
a) les analyses et courtes citations justifiées par le caractère critique, polémique, pédagogique, scientifique ou d'information de l'œuvre à laquelle elles sont incorporées;

Article 28. Nonobstant les dispositions de l'article 27, la reproduction reprographique d'un article ou de courts extraits d'une œuvre licitement publiée, est autorisée, à titre d'illustration de l'enseignement ou pour des recherches, dans la mesure justifiée par le but à atteindre, à condition qu'une telle reproduction soit un acte isolé sans lien avec des faits similaires et qu'elle ne porte pas atteinte à l'exploitation normale de l'œuvre ni ne cause un préjudice injustifié aux intérêts légitimes de l'auteur.

Article 29. Nonobstant les dispositions de l'article 27, toute bibliothèque ou tout service d'archives dont les activités ne visent pas directement ou indirectement un avantage commercial, peut, sans l'autorisation de l'auteur ou autre titulaire du droit d'auteur, faire une copie isolée d'une œuvre par reproduction reprographique :
1) lorsque l'œuvre reproduite est un article ou une courte œuvre ou un court extrait d'un écrit, autre qu'un programme d'ordinateur, accompagné ou non d'illustrations, publié dans une collection d'œuvres ou dans un numéro de journal ou de périodique, et lorsque cette reproduction a pour but de répondre à la demande d'une personne physique;

English rendering

[Unofficial translation]: Article 27. When the work has been lawfully published, the author may not prohibit:
1) private performances carried out exclusively within a family circle;
2) reproductions, translations and adaptations intended for strictly personal and private use and not intended for collective use, with the exception of copies of works of art intended to be used for the same purposes as those for which the original work was created and copies of computer programs other than backup copies;
3) subject to mention of the author's name and source:
a) analyses and short quotations justified by the critical, polemical, pedagogical, scientific or informational character of the work in which they are incorporated;

Article 28. Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 27, the reprographic reproduction of an article or short extracts of a lawfully published work is authorized, for illustration of teaching or for research, to the extent justified by the purpose to be achieved, provided that such reproduction is an isolated act without connection to similar acts and that it does not prejudice the normal exploitation of the work nor cause unjustified harm to the legitimate interests of the author.

Article 29. Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 27, any library or archive service whose activities do not directly or indirectly aim at a commercial advantage may, without the authorization of the author or other copyright holder, make an isolated copy of a work by reprographic reproduction:
1) when the work reproduced is an article or a short work or a short extract of a writing, other than a computer program, with or without illustrations, published in a collection of works or in an issue of a newspaper or periodical, and when such reproduction is intended to meet the request of a natural person;

Source links

• Official text ↗