Mundo Árabe : Túnez

Fundación estatal Función: Apoyar las políticas para el libro y la lectura

Also, academic institutions in universities and cultural organizations publish books.

Fundación estatal Función: Apoyar las políticas para el libro y la lectura

Fundación estatal Función: Apoyar las políticas para el libro y la lectura

Fundación estatal Función: Administrar los derechos

The Tunisian Agency for Copyright and Neighboring Rights was established by Decree No. 2860 of 2013, with the following main tasks:

• Protecting the rights of authors and neighboring rights, and defending the material and moral interests of these rights holders.
• Collecting and distributing the revenues generated from the collective management of copyright and neighbouring rights for the benefit of their owners or their beneficiaries.
• Issuing licenses related to the reproduction of works in any material form, including audio and audiovisual recordings, or others.
• Setting the financial and material conditions for the exploitation of works.
• Managing all rights whose proceeds are directed to the Social and Cultural Fund.
• Coordinating with relevant bodies and foreign institutions concerned with copyright and neighbouring rights to protect the rights and privileges earned by authors and rights holders in those institutions and to establish reciprocal representation agreements.
• Engaging in legal proceedings and taking all necessary actions to achieve its goals in the most effective way.
• Promoting a culture of copyright and neighbouring rights in Tunisia and raising awareness among all stakeholders, especially authors, users of works, and the agencies responsible for ensuring the proper application of legislation.

Fundación estatal Función: Apoyar las políticas para el libro y la lectura

A Reading Committee under the supervision of the General Directorate of Books

Programa público Función: Llevar a cabo una política cultural

Institución pública Función: Llevar a cabo una política cultural

In addition to the (Reading Administration) in the Ministry, 24 regional libraries are designated as «institutions,» and there are 430 public libraries spread across Tunisia, along with dozens of mobile libraries.

Institución pública Función: Reunir a los profesionales de la librería

Institución pública Función: Reunir a los profesionales de la librería

Institución pública Función: Reunir a los profesionales de la escritura

Federación Función: Reunir a los profesionales de la escritura

Institución pública Función: Reunir a los profesionales de la edición

Member of the International Publishers Association (IPA)

Institución pública Función: Reunir a los profesionales de la edición

Institución pública Función: Reunir a los profesionales de la documentación

It is one of the central unions of the Tunisian General Labor Union, the independent trade union organization.

Institución pública

The General Union for Printing, Paper, and Publishing is one of the active structures of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade, the central organization for business owners in Tunisia.

Universidad Función: Formación profesional

The Higher Institute of Documentation in Tunisia graduates specialists in Library Science, Documentation, and Archives.

Función: Formación profesional

There is no clear and continuous strategy in Tunisia for teaching publishing tasks and professional training, but several governmental, associative, and institutional structures are available to carry out this work, including:

• A university institution specialized in translation in Tunisia
• A higher institute for library science and documentation
• The Higher Institute for Printing Technologies and Multimedia
• A Bachelor’s degree in publishing and printing from the Institute of Journalism (lasting 5 years)
• The African Center for Training in Publishing and Distribution (lasting 20 years)
• Cultural associations organizing training courses in publishing, library science, and information technology
• A specialized diploma in writing professions from the Faculty of Arts in Sfax and Tunis.

Observaciones

What is needed is more attention and the development of these institutions and structures into a clear and structured plan for education and training.

Decreto Funciones: Supervisar y regular

Decrees No. 115 and 116 of the year 2011

Programa público Función: Apoyar las políticas para el libro y la lectura

Purchases are made through the acquisition of a number of books approved by a committee supervised by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. This is carried out at the municipal, regional, and national levels.

Acuerdo internacional Función: Protección de las obras literarias y artísticas

Acuerdo internacional Función: Protección de las obras literarias y artísticas

Acuerdo internacional Función: Facilitar la importación de objetos de carácter educativo, cultural o científico

«March 1962 ratification»

Acuerdo internacional Función: Facilitar la importación de objetos de carácter educativo, cultural o científico

«July 1995 ratification»

Programa público Función: Llevar a cabo una política cultural

Under the supervision of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, the General Directorate of Public Reading organizes regional competitions at the governorate level, culminating in a grand national festival to promote reading and literacy. Monetary prizes are awarded to winners of all ages and educational levels.

Programa público Función: Llevar a cabo una política cultural

Financial loans are available to continue the project for libraries, and there is support for libraries through the acquisition of a number of approved books, selected by a committee supervised by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.

Fondos Función: Llevar a cabo una política cultural

Translation is supported by the National Institute for Translation, and this support is provided at the national level.

Programa público Función: Llevar a cabo una política cultural

There is support for authors through awards.

Programa público Función: Llevar a cabo una política para el libro y la lectura

There are grants for book publishing through the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, available at the municipal, regional, and national levels.

The Creativity Support Fund.

Programa público Función: Llevar a cabo una política para el libro y la lectura

Publishing houses are supported through the following mechanisms:

• Financial contribution from the state through a publishing recommendation or the Creativity Support Fund.
• Financial loans for publishing institutions, where publishers can borrow from banks as project owners or from other non-governmental entities.
• Occasional acquisitions.

Programa público Función: Llevar a cabo una política cultural

There are specific mechanisms or assistance to support the participation of publishers in book fairs and exhibitions, both nationally and internationally, through the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and the Export Support Center.

Programa público Función: Llevar a cabo una política para el libro y la lectura

Preliminary public purchases of books are made through the Ministry of Cultural Affairs at the municipal, regional, and national levels.

These public purchases are made when books win awards or receive a publishing recommendation.

Programa público Función: Llevar a cabo una política para el libro y la lectura

There is support for paper of cultural books at the national level , and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs acquires books to make them available in public libraries.

Encuesta Función: Llevar a cabo una política cultural

Observaciones

There are research studies on literacy and reading education, as well as scientific seminars issued by the General Directorate of Public Reading, along with studies conducted by the Ministry of Education.

Programa público Función: Llevar a cabo una política para el libro y la lectura

Under the supervision of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, the General Directorate of Public Reading organizes regional competitions at the governorate level, culminating in a large national festival to encourage reading and literacy, where monetary prizes are awarded to winners of all ages and educational levels.

Orden Funciones: Registrar y regular

There is no prior censorship of books, but publishers are required to declare the publication of books to a governmental body, the National Library, within no more than one month of distribution in Tunisia, according to the legal deposit law for all cultural works of 2015.

There is subsequent judicial censorship.

Additionally, four copies must be deposited within a month of their circulation in the market at the National Library, which is responsible for the administrative follow-up and regulation of the publishing sector in Tunisia.

Ley Funciones: Controlar y regular

Decree 115 of 2011

As for electronic publishing, it was addressed in sections of Decree 54 of 2022, which prohibits infringements on others’ rights and the rights of authors via social media platforms. It also stipulates financial penalties and other measures that restrict freedom.

Código general de impuestos

Only 25% on the used paper is subject to tax, and there is a 0% tax on the book upon sale.

Código general de impuestos

There are general taxes on traditional books:

• 10% tax on publishing houses, instead of a progressive tax on income.
• 5% tax on authors.
• 12% customs tax if the books are imported from outside Europe.

Código general de impuestos

The value-added tax (VAT) is 18%, and if the books are from outside Europe, an additional 20% customs tax is applied.

Reglamento Función: Registrar

An ISBN number can be obtained for free from the National Library, and four copies of the book must be deposited in the National Library.

Ley Función: Protección de las obras literarias y artísticas

Law No. 36 of 1994, dated February 24, 1994, regarding literary and artistic property.

Ley Función: Protección de las obras literarias y artísticas

Law No. 36 of 1994, dated February 24, 1994, regarding literary and artistic property.

Ley Función: Regular los derechos morales y patrimoniales, y su duración

Law No. 36 of 1994, dated February 24, 1994, regarding literary and artistic property.

The protection of the author’s moral rights lasts for the duration of their life and for the remainder of the year of their death. The protection of the economic rights continues for fifty (50) years starting from January 1st of the year following their death.

Ley Función: Regular los derechos morales y patrimoniales, y su duración

Law No. 36 of 1994, dated February 24, 1994, regarding literary and artistic property, includes penalties for violations of authors’ rights in Chapter Nine of the law.

This law has been reinforced by several codes, including Article 41 of the 2022 Constitution, Decree 115 of 2011, and Decree 54 of 2022, which dedicates Article 25 to the protection of intellectual property on social media platforms.

Ley Función: Regular los derechos morales y patrimoniales, y su duración

Law No. 36 of 1994, dated February 24, 1994, concerning literary and artistic property, stipulates that the protection of the author’s economic rights lasts for the duration of their life and for the remain of the year of their death. This protection continues for fifty (50) years, starting from January 1st of the year following their death.

Ley Función: Regular los derechos morales y patrimoniales, y su duración

Law No. 36 of 1994, dated February 24, 1994, concerning literary and artistic property, does not specifically mention translators and their rights except in one clause, which is:

Article 6: «The owners of translations, adaptations, or modifications of literary, scientific, or artistic works are entitled to the protection provided by this law, without infringing upon the rights of the original authors.»

Observaciones

Procedures and Penalties:

Article 50: Importing copies of any work into the Tunisian territory is prohibited if such importation violates copyright as defined in this law and Tunisia’s international copyright obligations.

Article 51: Anyone who does not respect the right of authorship, as defined in Article 2 of this law, is obliged to pay damages to the holder of that right. The court with jurisdiction will determine the amount of the damages.

Failure to respect copyright is particularly evident if the user cannot present the prior authorization required by Article 2 of this law.

In the case of recidivism, the fine can rise to up to ten thousand dinars, along with a prison sentence ranging from one month to six months, or one of these penalties.

Article 53: The owner of a public establishment where a violation of this law occurs, whether by displaying protected works to the public or selling or renting copies of them, is jointly liable with the original infringer for compensating the material and moral damages resulting from the exploitation of those works, provided it is proven that the owner of the establishment was aware of the infringement.

Article 54: Violations of this law and the issuance of reports concerning them can be inspected by all judicial police officers and officers authorized by the Minister of Culture, chosen from the staff of the Ministry of Culture, Class (A) officers, and sworn in for this purpose.

Article 55: The court with jurisdiction may, either on its own initiative or upon the request of the author or the Tunisian institution for the protection of authors’ rights, order the temporary or permanent seizure, confiscation, or destruction of copies, or the closure of the establishment where the violation occurred.