Transition period for repeal of Section 52 of copyright act announced

A law preventing the sale of reproductions of classic furniture designs will come into effect in the UK this July.

On Thursday 21 April the government published its response to the consultation on the transitional arrangements for the repeal of Section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 had limited the term of copyright protection for industrially manufactured artistic works to 25 years.

The repeal, which comes into force on 28 July 2016, will extend the protection of a design to 70 years from the date the item was designed plus the life of the designer.

It brings UK design copyright laws in line with those of the rest of the EU.

Companies that are carrying stock of replicas prior to 28 July will be permitted to continue selling the items for another six months until 28 January 2017.

Liveryman and Second Assistant Dids Macdonald, OBE, CEO of Anti Copying in Design, said: “When the change comes into effect, the consequence will be that rights holders can license these works or prohibit further copying. Anyone who is not the copyright holder or their licensee will need to seek permission, or a licence, to make copies lawfully.”

For more information about the repeal, go to ACID’s website.