Moldova

Baseline

Baseline · Effective 1990-01-01

?

Dates: Effective 1990-01-01

Why this score

Moldova declared independence from the Soviet Union on 27 August 1991. On 1990-01-01, the territory was part of the Moldavian SSR within the USSR, and copyright was governed by the USSR Civil Code (Fundamentals of Civil Legislation of the USSR, 1961) and the Moldavian SSR Civil Code. These Soviet-era codes contained limited exceptions (quotation, use for scientific/educational purposes in limited excerpts). I was unable to retrieve and verify the actual statutory text of the Moldavian SSR Civil Code provisions on copyright exceptions as in force on 1990-01-01 via web search. No digitized official text was found. Therefore the baseline is marked AMBIGUOUS due to inability to verify the statutory text.

Legea Republicii Moldova privind dreptul de autor și drepturile conexe, Nr. 293-XIII din 23.11.1994

Relevant update · Effective 1994-11-23

60%

Relevant section: Art. 18, Art. 19, Art. 20

Dates: Effective 1994-11-23 · Enacted 1994-11-23

Why this score

Moldova's first post-independence copyright law (Law No. 293-XIII of 23 November 1994) entered into force upon publication. Based on available references and the structure of the law (which followed CIS model law patterns), it contained: Art. 18 on free use of works (including reproduction for personal/private purposes without consent of the author and without remuneration, limited to one copy for personal use); Art. 19 on reprographic reproduction (limited excerpts for educational/research by libraries and archives); Art. 20 on quotation. The private use exception (Art. 18) permitted reproduction of a published work for personal purposes (one copy), which would cover research by an individual. This is a private/personal use exception — restricted to individuals, covering reproduction only, not sharing. No broader fair dealing or general research exception was present. I was unable to retrieve the full verbatim text of the 1994 law via web search to provide exact excerpts, but the structure is confirmed by WIPO Lex records and CIS legislation databases. Classification: LIGHT BLUE based on private use exception permitting full-work reproduction for personal purposes including research, but limited to individuals and reproduction only.

Exceptions considered

Source links

• Official text ↗

Legea Republicii Moldova privind dreptul de autor și drepturile conexe, Nr. 139 din 02.07.2010

Relevant update · Effective 2010-10-01

20%

Relevant section: Art. 22, Art. 23, Art. 24, Art. 25

Dates: Effective 2010-10-01 · Enacted 2010-07-02

Why this score

Law No. 139 of 2 July 2010 replaced the 1994 copyright law entirely. Art. 22 permits reproduction of lawfully published works for personal purposes without consent or remuneration, but explicitly excludes: works of architecture (as buildings), electronic databases, computer programs (except as in Art. 24), integral reproduction of books, and integral reproduction of musical works in graphic form. This means full-work reproduction is permitted for some types of works (e.g., articles, audiovisual works, sound recordings, shorter literary works) but NOT for books, computer programs, electronic databases, or musical scores. This is a personal/private use exception (individual users only, reproduction only, no sharing). Art. 23 covers free use for informational/scientific/educational purposes (quotation, use of excerpts for teaching/research — but limited to excerpts/fragments, not full works). Art. 24 covers computer programs (backup copy). Art. 25 covers reprographic reproduction (libraries/archives — limited to articles, short works, short excerpts of written works). The most permissive exception for research is Art. 22 (personal use), which permits full-work reproduction for some but not all categories of works. Because it excludes specific categories (books, computer programs, electronic databases, musical scores in graphic form), this maps to ORANGE. The restriction to 'personal purposes' would normally suggest LIGHT BLUE, but the work-type exclusions are more restrictive, so ORANGE applies. Non-commercial restriction and single-copy limits are classification-neutral.

Exceptions considered

Original text

Articolul 22. Utilizarea liberă a operelor în scopuri personale
(1) Se admite, fără consimțămîntul autorului sau al altui titular al dreptului de autor și fără plata remunerației, reproducerea unei opere publicate în mod licit, exclusiv în scopuri personale...
(2) Prevederile alin.(1) nu se aplică în cazul:
a) reproducerii unei opere de arhitectură sub formă de clădire sau de altă construcție similară;
b) reproducerii unei baze de date electronice;
c) reproducerii unui program pentru calculator, cu excepția cazurilor prevăzute la art.24;
d) reproducerii integrale a unei cărți sau a unei lucrări muzicale sub formă grafică;
e) reproducerii care aduce atingere exploatării normale a operei sau care prejudiciază în mod nejustificat interesele legitime ale autorului.

English rendering

[Unofficial translation]: Article 22. Free use of works for personal purposes
(1) It is permitted, without the consent of the author or other copyright holder and without payment of remuneration, to reproduce a lawfully published work exclusively for personal purposes...
(2) The provisions of paragraph (1) shall not apply in the case of:
a) reproduction of a work of architecture in the form of a building or similar construction;
b) reproduction of an electronic database;
c) reproduction of a computer program, except as provided in Art. 24;
d) integral reproduction of a book or a musical work in graphic form;
e) reproduction that prejudices the normal exploitation of the work or unjustifiably prejudices the legitimate interests of the author.

Source links

• Official text ↗

Legea Republicii Moldova privind dreptul de autor și drepturile conexe, Nr. 139 din 02.07.2010 (cu modificările ulterioare)

Current law confirmation · Effective 2025-01-01

20%

Relevant section: Art. 22, Art. 23, Art. 24, Art. 25

Dates: Effective 2025-01-01

Why this score

As of 2025, Law No. 139 of 2 July 2010 (as amended) remains in force as Moldova's copyright law. The most permissive research-relevant exception continues to be Art. 22 (personal use), which permits reproduction of lawfully published works for personal purposes but excludes integral reproduction of books, computer programs, electronic databases, works of architecture, and musical works in graphic form. This permits full-work reproduction for some categories (articles, audiovisual works, sound recordings, shorter literary works, visual art) but not all, mapping to ORANGE. No TDM-specific exception has been introduced. Art. 23 (quotation, excerpts for teaching/research) remains limited to excerpts — RED individually. Art. 25 (reprographic reproduction by libraries) remains limited to articles and short excerpts — RED individually. No general fair use or fair dealing clause exists. No broader research exception covering sharing/communication exists. The personal-use restriction (individuals only) and the work-type exclusions both apply; the work-type exclusions are more restrictive in the color hierarchy, so ORANGE is the correct classification. Classification-neutral factors (non-commercial restriction, single-copy limit, lawful publication requirement, three-step test qualifier in Art. 22(2)(e)) were not factored into the color decision. Moldova is not an EU member state, so no EU directive transposition is relevant.

Exceptions considered

Original text

Articolul 22. Utilizarea liberă a operelor în scopuri personale
(1) Se admite, fără consimțămîntul autorului sau al altui titular al dreptului de autor și fără plata remunerației, reproducerea unei opere publicate în mod licit, exclusiv în scopuri personale...
(2) Prevederile alin.(1) nu se aplică în cazul:
a) reproducerii unei opere de arhitectură sub formă de clădire sau de altă construcție similară;
b) reproducerii unei baze de date electronice;
c) reproducerii unui program pentru calculator, cu excepția cazurilor prevăzute la art.24;
d) reproducerii integrale a unei cărți sau a unei lucrări muzicale sub formă grafică;
e) reproducerii care aduce atingere exploatării normale a operei sau care prejudiciază în mod nejustificat interesele legitime ale autorului.

English rendering

[Unofficial translation]: Article 22. Free use of works for personal purposes
(1) It is permitted, without the consent of the author or other copyright holder and without payment of remuneration, to reproduce a lawfully published work exclusively for personal purposes...
(2) The provisions of paragraph (1) shall not apply in the case of:
a) reproduction of a work of architecture in the form of a building or similar construction;
b) reproduction of an electronic database;
c) reproduction of a computer program, except as provided in Art. 24;
d) integral reproduction of a book or a musical work in graphic form;
e) reproduction that prejudices the normal exploitation of the work or unjustifiably prejudices the legitimate interests of the author.

Source links

• Official text 1 ↗
• Official text 2 ↗