REGISTRATION OF COMPUTER PROGRAMS AND SOFTWARE
Another sector protected by copyright is the software and information technology sector and its products. Computer programs are protected as scientific and literary works according to Law No. 846. Works, including software, benefit from an automatic protection that starts from the moment they are created. In order for protection to start, the software does not need to be registered or approved by any institution. However, it is possible for the works to be registered by the General Directorate of Copyrights of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism upon the request of the rights holders. In the event that the software is used without the permission of the rights holders, it is possible to file legal and criminal lawsuits under Law No. 5846.
The legal rights granted to companies or individuals who register computer programs and databases under the title of infringement of financial rights according to the LAW ON INTELLECTUAL AND ARTISTIC WORKS are as follows;
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A person who sells or distributes copies of a work or its adaptations that have been reproduced by him/her in violation of the provisions of this contract, despite having an existing contract between them, shall be sentenced to imprisonment from three months to two years or a heavy fine from ten billion lira to fifty billion lira, or both, taking into account the severity of the damage.
