The Jordanian Copyright Law and its Amendment No. (22) for the year 1992 is based on the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works and does not contain a definition of copyright; however in Article (3) it clearly states that the law offers legal protection to any kind of original work in literature, art and science regardless of the value or purpose of the work. Copyright registration In Jordan copyright automatically attaches upon the creation of an original work of authorship, however registration / deposit with the National Library of the Jordanian Ministry of Culture puts a copyright holder in a better position if litigation arises over the copyright. A copyright holder desiring to register his/her copyright should: Obtain and complete the appropriate form(s). Prepare clear renditions of material being submitted for copyright. If relevant, obtain any necessary forfeit documents from persons who contributed to the work. Deposit the work at the National Library. Each work is issued a depository number, and no official fees are required. (See Jordanian Copyright Law and Regulation) Copyright duration Copyright protection begins when a work is actually created and fixed in a tangible form. For the majority of cases the duration of a copyright is for the life of the copyright owner plus fifty years following his/her death. There are two categories of exceptions to the standard duration of life plus fifty years, however. The author of a work only enjoys copyright protection for fifty years from the date the work was created in the following circumstances the author or rightsholder is a corporation, or other type of legal entity that grants some of the same rights as those that apply to natural persons the work is a cinema or television production the work is published for the first time after the death of the author the work is published under a pseudonym. In this case, if the work's author reveals his/her identity within the protection period then the copyright duration is extended until 50 years following the author's death. Photographs and applied arts enjoy only a 25-year protection period, commencing on January 1 of their creation year. When the protection period expires the work enters into the public domain, making it legal for all to use. (see Articles 30, 31, 32, 33 and 34 of the Jordanian Copyright Law No. 22 for the year 1992 and its amendments) Copyright holder