Copyright Act 1956

39 (1) The provisions of this paragraph shall have effect for the construction of any reference in any provision of this Act—

(a) to countries to which that provision extends, or

(b) to qualified persons.

(2) Where, at any time after the commencement of any provisions of this Act, a provision which contains such a reference—

(a) has not yet been extended by virtue of section thirty-one to a country to which the Act of 1911 extended (or which, by virtue of that Act, was to be treated as a country to which it extended), and

(b) has not been applied in the case of that country by virtue of section thirty-two,

then, with respect to any time before the provision is so extended or applied, the reference shall be construed as if the provision did extend to that country.

(3) For the purpose of determining whether copyright subsists in any work or other subject-matter at a time when a provision containing such a reference has been extended to a country other than the United Kingdom, the reference shall be construed, in relation to past events, as if that provision had always been in operation and had always extended to that country.

(4) In relation to photographs taken before the commencement of section three, and to sound recordings made before the commencement of section twelve, the definition of “qualified person ” in subsection (5) of section one shall apply as if, in paragraph (b) of that subsection, for the words “body incorporated under the laws of” there were substituted the words “body corporate which has established a place of business in ”.