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PD 49 (Decree on Intellectual Property) Section 14

Section 14

SEC. 14. If, after the expiration of five years from the date of the first publication of a writing, a translation of such writing has not been published in the national or other local language, as the case may be, by the owner of the right of translation or with his authorization, any citizen may obtain a non-exclusive license from the Director of the National Library, to translate the work and publish the work so translated in the national or other local language in which it has not been published: Provided, That such citizen establishes either that he has requested, and been denied, authorization by the proprietor of the right to make and publish the translation, or that, after due diligence on his part, he was unable to find the owner of the right. A license may also be granted on the same conditions if all previous editions of a translation in such language are out of print. In both cases the terms and conditions of the license, including the royalties of the author or proprietor of the original work, shall be stated therein. If the owner of the right of translation cannot be found, then the applicant for a license shall send copies of his application to the publisher whose name appears on the work and, if the nationality of the owner of the right of translation is known, to the diplomatic or consular representative of the state of which such owner is a national, or to the organization which may have been designated by the government of that state. The license shall not be granted before the expiration of two months from the date of the dispatch of the copies of the application. Neither shall it be granted when the author has withdrawn from circulation all copies of the work. The original title and the name of the author of the work shall be printed on all copies of the published translation.

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Other provisions in CHAPTER II — Copyright

Compiled from an official source version. Later amendments or repeals may not be reflected; the official text prevails. · Read the official text ↗ · Data as of 2026-07-04

CitationPD 49 (Decree on Intellectual Property) Section 14 (LawPlayer, data as of 2026-07-04)

Source: Supreme Court E-Library, Republic of the Philippines. Philippine laws are public documents (works of the government).

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