Public Domain in Cross-border Copyright Law Relations

The article deals with the institution of the public domain: the basis of its content and regulation in international copyright law, as well as implementation of universal international agreements in the sphere of copyright in the national law of the states parties to such agreements. The author identifies common features of entrenchment of the institute of public domain in national copyright law of states that formed under the influence of the process of law harmonization: defining conditions of transferring works to public domain and the limits of using such works based on the law-of-the-state-of-protection conflict-of-law connecting factor"(lex loci protectionis), entrenchment of an exclusive rights expiration criteria as a legal basis for transferring a work into public domain; legal recognition of public domain as a part of a culture of a society that should be available to everyone. For an in-depth research, the institute of public domain in copyright law is more thoroughly discussed in terms of law and order in the United States, France and Russia. The author dwells on the problems that characterize the effectiveness of the institute of public domain in modern cross-border relations and that arise due to different levels of economic and cultural development of states and territoriality of international copyright law: different understanding of relations covered by public domain, different approaches to defining the moment of transfer of works into public domain, an undeveloped regime of public domain and sanctions for its infringement, almost complete abandonment of extraterritoriality of norms of the institute of public domain. As a result of research, the author brings forward proposals to improve legal regulation of public domain in the Russian Federation. For authors wishing to convey their work into public domain, the author proposes that the legal framework order should be established; choice of law rules in determining the holder of exclusive rights conveyed by means of a trans-boundary contract and recovered after being transferred to public domain on the ground of a conflict-of-laws connecting factor "the law of the country of origin" (lex origin); clarification of rights of authors that are derived from works that previously had remained in public domain and later were restored in protection of works.

intellectual property, international copyright law, public domain, choice of applicable law, exclusive rights, moral right, law of the country of protection, law of the country of origin, restoration of exclusive rights, territoriality

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