Selected year snapshot
For 2016, the active event in this file is Copyright Law, Law No. 66 of 7 September 1977.
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Current rationale
Somalia's first copyright law was Law No. 66 of 7 September 1977. However, the full statutory text of this law could not be located or verified through any official source, WIPO Lex, or any other accessible repository. WIPO's member profile for Somalia (as of 2018 and confirmed in current searches) does not list any IP laws enacted by the legislature of Somalia. The Wikimedia Commons copyright rules page for Somalia confirms the existence of Law No. 66 of 1977 but notes it 'does not appear to have been widely used or enforced.' Without access to the actual statutory text, it is impossible to determine what exceptions and limitations (if any) the law contained for research, private study, fair use, fair dealing, or TDM. The standard copyright duration noted for Somalia is life + 30 years, but no exception provisions can be verified. Because the statutory text itself is genuinely unavailable and indeterminate, AMBIGUOUS is the only defensible classification.
Law changes
Copyright Law, Law No. 66 of 7 September 1977
Baseline · Effective 1977-09-07
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Dates: Effective 1977-09-07 · Enacted 1977-09-07
Why this score
Somalia's first copyright law was Law No. 66 of 7 September 1977. However, the full statutory text of this law could not be located or verified through any official source, WIPO Lex, or any other accessible repository. WIPO's member profile for Somalia (as of 2018 and confirmed in current searches) does not list any IP laws enacted by the legislature of Somalia. The Wikimedia Commons copyright rules page for Somalia confirms the existence of Law No. 66 of 1977 but notes it 'does not appear to have been widely used or enforced.' Without access to the actual statutory text, it is impossible to determine what exceptions and limitations (if any) the law contained for research, private study, fair use, fair dealing, or TDM. The standard copyright duration noted for Somalia is life + 30 years, but no exception provisions can be verified. Because the statutory text itself is genuinely unavailable and indeterminate, AMBIGUOUS is the only defensible classification.
Copyright Law, Law No. 66 of 7 September 1977
Current law confirmation · Effective 2025-01-01
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Dates: Effective 2025-01-01
Why this score
As of 2025, Somalia has not enacted any new comprehensive copyright law to replace Law No. 66 of 1977. WIPO Lex continues to list no IP legislation for Somalia. The Wikimedia Commons page notes that a press law dated June 2017 published by the Ministry of Education, Culture & Tourism refers to copyright but 'does not specify a duration and is unclear.' This press law does not appear to constitute a comprehensive copyright statute with defined exceptions and limitations for research. The 2017 press law text could not be independently verified as containing research-relevant copyright exceptions. No TDM-specific provisions exist. The Federal Government of Somalia and the breakaway state of Somaliland have not published accessible copyright legislation through any official digital repository that could be located via web search. Given the complete unavailability of verified statutory text containing exceptions and limitations, the classification remains AMBIGUOUS. No relevant updates between the baseline and 2025 could be identified because no verifiable statutory amendments to copyright exceptions were found.