The intellectual production of literary and artistic works is protected in the Dominican Republic (“DR”) by Copyright Law 65-00 of August 21st of 2000. Among the intellectual works that the Copyright Law covers are:

  • Works expressed in writing, in the form of books, magazines, pamphlets or other texts;
  • Lectures, addresses, discourses and other works of the same nature;
  • Musical compositions with or without lyrics;
  • Works of drawing, painting, architecture, sculpture, engraving, lithography and other artistic works;
  • Illustrations, maps, plans, sketches and three-dimensional works related to geography, topography, architecture or the sciences;
  • Computer programs, under the same terms as literary works.

Works protected under Copyright Law

  • Works of which the author or at least one of the joint authors is Dominican or resides in the Republic;
  • Works published in the DR for the first time or published there within 30 days of their first publication;
  • Works of nationals, or persons resident in, countries that are parties to any of the international treaties to which the Dominican Republic is a party or to which it becomes a party in the future;
  • Works first published, or published within 30 days of their first publication, in any country that is a party to such agreements or treaties;
  • Artistic performances, phonographic productions and broadcasts, under the terms set out in the Title of this Law relating to neighboring rights to copyright.

Pursuant the provisions established, the author of an intellectual work will have a perpetual, inalienable, imprescriptible and undeniable right to claim authorship of his work at any time, object to any distortion, mutilation or other modification of the work, keep the work unpublished or anonymous until his death or thereafter and withdraw the work from circulation or suspend any form of use.

Duration of Copyrights

Pursuant the Dominican Copyrights legislation, the duration of the rights belonging to an authors are deemed to be with them until their death, and for their spouses and successors for seventy (70) years, starting from the author’s date of death. In the case of joint authorship, the period of 70 years will commence on the death of the last joint author.

Collective works and computer programs are protected for seventy (70) years from the date of their publication or creation, copyrights for photographs and audiovisual works are protected for seventy (70) years from first publication, public display or presentation. Phonogram producers and Broadcasting organizations are protected for seventy (70) years.

Copyrights contracts

Pursuant Law 65-00, copyrights are transferable by written legal acts among persons, assignment of rights contracts, licenses and also can be transferred by succession or subject of legacy or testament dispositions.

The Law covers editing contracts, contracts for inclusion of a work in phonograms, representation contracts.

The National Registry of Copyrights (ONDA)

ONDA is in charge of registering intellectual works, performances, productions, including phonograms and broadcasts, instruments and contracts referring to copyright or related rights, constituent documents of collective management societies, amendments, other instruments and documents in the Regulations.

Pursuant Law 65-00, among the acts subject of registry are the following:

  • Scientific, literary or artistic works, performances, phonographic productions and broadcasts in the private

domain that the relevant right holders voluntarily submit for registration;

  • Instruments or contracts under which all or some of the rights recognized under the Law are transferred

and those which constitute rights of enjoyment  and which the interested parties opt to register;

  • Judicial, administrative or arbitral decisions that entail the establishment, declaration, clarification,adjudication, modification, limitation, encumbrance or transfer of rights, that provide for precautionary measures or that affect a declaration or registration made with the Registry;
  • Powers conferred on natural or legal persons to deal with the Copyright Unit;
  • Any other instruments or documents, as set out in the Regulations.

Radio & television Broadcasting and Retransmissions

According to Law 65-00, any natural or legal person authorized to provide transmission public services of Radio or Television under Telecommunication Law 153-98, shall not retransmit the signals broadcasted by other broadcasters without their prior authorization.

For enforcing said provision the Copyright Unit at ONDA can supervise and undertake technical inspection visits to the breaching parties and may require the assistance from the Telecommunication Authority in order to sanction the breaching parties.


This publication is provided for informational purposes only and not as legal advice. Any transaction related to any of the described aspects shall require advice and be specifically consulted with the firm in advance. © 2024 Arthur & Castillo | Dominican Law. 


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