Copyright (Amendment) Act, 1987

What is this act about?

This law amends the Copyright Act of 1963, primarily by clarifying what constitutes an infringement of copyright for certain artistic works and by updating the penalties and enforcement measures for copyright infringement.

Who it applies to: Owners of copyright in artistic works, literary, dramatic, musical works, and cinematograph films; Individuals or entities who reproduce, sell, hire, import, or publicly exhibit or perform copyrighted works.

Deadlines:

Penalties for offences can include fines up to £1,000 per transaction or imprisonment for up to 6 months.

At a glance

Country: Ireland
Area of law: Intellectual property
Articles: 3
Source: irishstatutebook.ie
Text retrieved: 2026-06-17
Explanation updated: 2026-07-07

What does this act regulate?

The reproduction of three-dimensional objects from two-dimensional artistic works.
Offences related to making, selling, importing, or exhibiting infringing copies of copyrighted works.
Offences related to the public performance or showing of copyrighted literary, dramatic, musical works, or cinematograph films without permission.
The powers of the District Court and Garda Síochána to seize and deal with infringing copies.

Who does this act apply to?

Owners of copyright in artistic works, literary, dramatic, musical works, and cinematograph films.
Individuals or entities who reproduce, sell, hire, import, or publicly exhibit or perform copyrighted works.

What are the key points?

Reproducing a three-dimensional object from a two-dimensional artistic work (unless it's architecture-related) is not copyright infringement if the features are functional and more than fifty identical objects have been commercially made available by the copyright owner or authorized person.
It is an offence to knowingly make, sell, hire, import (for non-private use), or exhibit infringing copies of a work.
It is an offence to knowingly cause a public performance of a literary, dramatic, or musical work, or a showing of a cinematograph film, if it infringes copyright.
Penalties for offences can include fines up to £1,000 per transaction or imprisonment for up to 6 months.
The District Court can authorize the Garda Síochána to seize infringing copies without a warrant and order their destruction or delivery to the copyright owner.

Intellectual property

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Intellectual Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014

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Intellectual property

Legal text

Contents (3)

Section 1
Section 2
Section 3

Copyright (Amendment) Act, 1987 Skip to content Disclaimer Feedback Helpdesk Gaeilge Léim go dtí an t-ábhar Séanadh Aiseolas Deasc chabhrach English Gaeilge English Produced by the Office of the Attorney General Táirgthe ag Oifig an Ard-Aighne Home Legislation Acts of the Oireachtas Statutory Instruments Pre-1922 Legislation Constitution External Resources Bills (Houses of the Oireachtas) Iris Oifigiúil / Official Gazette Revised Acts (LRC) Classified List of Legislation (LRC) Translations (acts.ie) Translations (Houses of the Oireachtas) Government Publications for Sale EU Law (EUR-Lex) FAQ Disclaimer Feedback Helpdesk Search Baile Reachtaíocht Achtanna an Oireachtais Ionstraimí Reachtúla Reachtaíocht Réamh-1922 Bunreacht Acmhainní Seachtracha Billí (Tithe an Oireachtais) Iris Oifigiúil Achtanna Athbhreithnithe (CAD) (An Coimisiún um Athchóiriú an Dlí) Liosta Rangaithe Reachtaíochta Aistriúcháin (achtanna.ie) Aistriúcháin (Tithe an Oireachtais) Foilseacháin Rialtais ar Díol Dlí AE (EUR-Lex) CCanna (Ceisteanna Coitianta) Séanadh Aiseolas Deasc chabhrach Cuardach TitleTeideal Year(s) or rangeBliain nó blianta nó raon TypeCineál All Legislation Acts Statutory Instruments Advanced SearchCuardach Casta HomeBaile ActsAchtanna 1987 Copyright (Amendment) Act, 1987 Copyright (Amendment) Act, 1987 Permanent Page URL View by SectionAmharc de réir Ailt View Full ActAmharc ar an Acht Iomlán Bill History Stair Bille Commencement, Amendments, SIs made under the Act Tosach Feidhme, Leasuithe, IRí arna ndéanamh faoin Acht Print Full ActPriontáil an tAcht Iomlán Number 24 of 1987 COPYRIGHT (AMENDMENT) ACT, 1987 ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS Section

Section 1

Amendment of section 14 of Copyright Act, 1963.

Section 2

Amendment of section 27 of Copyright Act, 1963.

Section 3

Short title, construction and collective citation.

Act Referred to Copyright Act, 1963 1963, No. 10 Number 24 of 1987 COPYRIGHT (AMENDMENT) ACT, 1987 AN ACT TO AMEND THE COPYRIGHT ACT, 1963 . [11th December, 1987] BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:

Amendment of section 14 of Copyright Act, 1963.

1.—

Section 14

of the Copyright Act, 1963 , is hereby amended by the insertion after subsection (7) of the following subsection: “(7A) The act of reproducing an object of any description which is in three dimensions shall not be taken to constitute an infringement of the copyright in an artistic work in two dimensions (other than such a work relating to a work of architecture) if— (a) any of the features following, that is to say, shape, configuration and pattern, that appear in the work and are applied to the object are wholly or substantially functional, and (b) the object is one of a number, in excess of fifty, of identical objects which have been manufactured and made commercially available by the owner of the copyright or by a person authorised by him in that behalf.”.

Amendment of section 27 of Copyright Act, 1963.

2.—

Section 27

of the Copyright Act, 1963 , is hereby amended by the substitution of the following subsections for subsections (1), (4), (5), (8), (9) and (10): “(1) Any person who, at a time after the commencement of the Copyright (Amendment) Act, 1987, when copyright subsists in a work— (a) makes for sale or hire, or (b) sells or lets for hire, or by way of trade offers or exposes for sale or hire, or for the purposes of trade has in his possession, or (c) by way of trade exhibits in public, or (d) imports into the State, otherwise than for his private and domestic use, any article which he knows to be an infringing copy of the work, shall be guilty of an offence under this subsection.

(4)The District Court, upon the application of the owner of the copyright in any work, may act as follows: If satisfied by evidence that there is reasonable ground for believing that infringing copies of the work are being hawked, carried about, sold or offered or exposed for sale, let for hire or offered or exposed for hire, may by order authorise a member of the Garda Síochána to seize the copies without warrant and to bring them before the court, and the court, on proof that the copies are infringing copies, may order them to be destroyed, or to be delivered up to the owner of the copyright or otherwise dealt with as the court may think fit.

(5)If a Justice of the District Court is satisfied by information on oath that there is reasonable ground for suspecting that an offence under subsection (1), (2), (3) or (8) of this section is being committed on any premises, such Justice may grant a search warrant authorising a named member of the Garda Síochána accompanied by such other members of the Garda Síochána as may be necessary, to enter on the premises, if need be by force, and to seize any copies of any cinematograph film or any work including plates in respect of which he has reasonable ground for suspecting that an offence under any of the said subsections is being committed.

(8)Any person who after the commencement of the Copyright (Amendment) Act, 1987, causes a literary, dramatic or musical work to be performed in public, or a cinematograph film to be shown, knowing that copyright subsists in the work or in the cinematograph film, and that the performance or showing constitutes an infringement of the copyright, shall be guilty of an offence under this subsection.

(9)A person guilty of an offence under subsection (1) or (2) of this section shall be liable, on summary conviction— (a) in case it is his first conviction of an offence under this section, to a fine not exceeding £100 for each article to which the offence relates; (b) in any other case, to such a fine, or, at the discretion of the court, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both such fine and such imprisonment; so, however, that a fine imposed by virtue of this subsection shall not exceed £1,000 in respect of articles comprised in the same transaction.

(10)A person guilty of an offence under subsection (3) or (8) of this section shall be liable, on summary conviction— (a) in case it is his first conviction of an offence under this section, to a fine not exceeding £1,000; (b) in any other case, to such a fine, or, at the discretion of the court, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both such fine and such imprisonment. (10A) Notwithstanding anything contained in subsection (10) of this section, where any person causes a work specified in subsection (8) of this section to be performed in public in contravention of the said subsection (8) by means of a television broadcast or a sound broadcast, he shall, in lieu of any penalty specified in the said subsection (10), be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £100.”.

Short title, construction and collective citation.

3.—(1) This Act may be cited as the Copyright (Amendment) Act, 1987.

(2)The Copyright Act, 1963 , and this Act shall be construed together as one Act and may be cited together as the Copyright Acts, 1963 and 1987.

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