Collaboration and compromise: the amended Swiss Copyright Act

Peter Ling of Lenz & Staehelin outlines the major changes to Swiss copyright law that came into effect in early April.

A major revision to the Swiss Federal Act on Copyright and Related Rights (Copyright Act) entered into force on April 1, 2020. The amendment constitutes the outcome of eight years of discussions and negotiations in expert groups and different branches of the government, illustrating the vastly diverging interests at stake.

The changes to the law find their roots in the Swiss Federal Council’s (executive branch) intent to fight online piracy “without criminalising the users”, to adapt the existing statute to technological developments and to “accommodate further concerns of various stakeholders”. 

The changes include the following.