Theory and practice of intellectual property
№ 3 / 2026
ISSN (Print) 2308-0361
ISSN (Online) 2519-2744
PDF (English)DOI: https://doi.org/10.33731/tpip.2026.3.13
Submitted 2026-08-03
Accepted 2026-08-24
Published 2026-09-10
The system of terms of copyright protection: classification and features of regulation in Ukrainian and European Union law
Nadiia Fedorova
Ph.D (Law),
Academic Secretary,
Intellectual Property Scientific Research Institute of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine
Kyiv, Ukraine
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5490-1259
Abstract
This article examines the term of copyright protection under the European Union and Ukrainian law in the light of international legal standards. It analyses the legal nature of the duration of economic rights, the doctrinal approaches to its interpretation, and the features of international, EU, and Ukrainian legal regulation. The study substantiates the hypothesis that the term of copyright protection constitutes a multi-level system consisting of a general term and special terms, the application of which depends on different legal facts determining their commencement. On this basis, the article proposes an original classification of special terms, including terms calculated from the death of a person specified by law, the lawful making available of a work to the public, the creation of the work, and terms arising from a complex set of legal facts. The study concludes that Ukrainian legislation generally complies with international and European standards but requires further systematisation of special terms of copyright protection.
Keywords: intellectual property law, copyright, term of protection, classification of terms, public domain, harmonisation of legislation
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