Northern Ireland Act 1998

8 (1) The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 shall be amended as follows.

(2) In section 12(9) (duration of copyright in literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works), for “166A” substitute “166B”.

(3) In section 153(2) (qualification for copyright protection), for “166A” substitute “166B”.

(4) In section 163(6) (Crown copyright), for “166A” substitute “166B”.

(5) In section 164(1) (Crown copyright in Acts of Parliament, etc.), after “Scottish Parliament” insert “, Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly”.

(6) After section 166A insert—

“166B Copyright in Bills of the Northern Ireland Assembly

(1) Copyright in every Bill introduced into the Northern Ireland Assembly belongs to the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission.

(2) Copyright under this section subsists from the time when the text of the Bill is handed in to the Assembly for introduction—

(a) until the Bill receives Royal Assent, or

(b) if the Bill does not receive Royal Assent, until it is withdrawn or rejected or no further proceedings of the Assembly may be taken in respect of it.

(3) References in this Part to Parliamentary copyright (except in section 165) include copyright under this section; and, except as mentioned above, the provisions of this Part apply in relation to copyright under this section as to other Parliamentary copyright.

(4) No other copyright, or right in the nature of copyright, subsists in a Bill after copyright has once subsisted under this section; but without prejudice to the subsequent operation of this section in relation to a Bill which, not having received Royal Assent, is later reintroduced into the Assembly.”

(7) In the definition of “parliamentary proceedings” in section 178 (definitions), the words “, of the New Northern Ireland Assembly” shall cease to have effect.

(8) In section 179 (index of defined expressions), in column 2 of the entry for “Parliamentary copyright”, for “and 166A(3)” substitute “166A(3) and 166B(3)”.