Monday, September 30 2013

The Armenian Parliament approved on Monday the second and final reading of amendments to the law on copyright and associated rights.

MP Arpine Hovhannisyan said that the amendments concern original works of authorship. Particularly, they prohibit the use of such works without the consent of their authors in public places and in the Internet.  Publishing excerpts from items in newspapers, magazines, online news portals, it is necessary to refer to the original source with hyperlink to relevant website.  The original source must be written with Latin letters. 

The authors of the bill offer a 100,000-200,000 drams fine for violation of the bill, without any administrative or criminal prosecution.  The fine is not provided to the state budget. One entity pays the fine the other like in civil processes. 

"There is a principle of solidarity in the Armenian information field. Journalists never sue each other," Hovhannisyan said.