Copyright Law, Sui Generis Database Producers Rights
A citation is an address, not a summary. The first part names the law; what follows narrows it to the exact section, article or paragraph.
In force.
A database right rule binding public and private bodies.
As of 6 September 2026.
What it requires
- Do not extract or reuse the whole or a substantial part of a database's content, evaluated qualitatively or quantitatively, without the authorisation of the database's producer.
- Do not repeatedly and systematically extract or reuse insubstantial parts of a database's content where doing so conflicts with the database's normal exploitation or unreasonably harms the producer's legitimate interests.
If you get it wrong
Criminal exposureNo
Penalty structure
Art. 179(2)-(4): a fine of ALL 100,000 to 500,000 against the responsible person of a legal entity or against a natural person committing the offence, and ALL 50,000 to 200,000 against an employee or self-employed person who committed it while performing an activity knowing or having the opportunity to know it was unlawful, applicable when the conduct does not separately constitute a criminal offence. Item (l) of Art. 179(1) names the unauthorised use of a database's data under Article 121 among the conduct this fine reaches.
- Rule
- Fixed only
- As of
- 6 September 2026
- Minimum
- 50,000
- Currency
- ALL
- Fixed cap
- 500,000
What it reaches
Obligation class
Access restriction
What this law does
Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.
Articles 119 to 126 of Law No. 35/2016 On Copyright and Related Rights give the producer of a database, defined as a systematically or methodically arranged collection of independent works, data, or materials whose safety, verification, or presentation required a substantial qualitative or quantitative investment, the exclusive right to authorise or prohibit the extraction or reuse of the whole or a substantial part of its content, evaluated qualitatively or quantitatively, and extends that right to the repeated and systematic extraction or reuse of insubstantial parts where it conflicts with the database's normal exploitation or unreasonably harms the producer's legitimate interests.
The right runs for 15 years from the year following the database's completion, restarting on a substantial new investment in the database.
Article 124 exempts extraction or reuse of a non-electronic database's content for private purposes, for illustration in teaching or scientific research with the source cited and the extent limited to the non-commercial purpose, and for public security or an administrative or judicial proceeding; Article 123 lets a legitimate user of a publicly available database extract or reuse insubstantial parts for any purpose, a right no contract can override.
Article 179 makes an unauthorised issuance, making available, communication, or use of a database's data an administrative offence, sanctioned by a fine of ALL 100,000 to 500,000 against the responsible person of a legal entity and ALL 50,000 to 200,000 against an employee, rather than a criminal penalty, when the same conduct does not separately constitute a criminal offence. The 2022 amendments to this law did not touch Part IV.
When LexLint raises it
crawls_webtrains_models
Read the law
Law No. 35/2016 On Copyright and Related Rights, official English translation hosted via WIPO Lex