# 著作権法 / Copyright Act — 第三条 (Article 3) - Law: 著作権法 (Copyright Act), 昭和四十五年法律第四十八号 - English title "Copyright Act": Ministry of Justice translation - Kind: Act — the distinction between 法律 (Act), 政令 (Cabinet Order), 省令 (Ministerial Order) and 条例 (local ordinance) decides who may issue it and what it may say. - Provision: 第三条 (Article 3)（著作物の発行） — address `art-3` - Text in force since: 2026-06-24 - URL (the page that opens at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-3 - Permanent URL (e-Gov law ID, never renamed): https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-3 - Every provision below carries its address and both URLs on the line under it. - Japanese text: e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁). English: as marked on each line below. Only the Japanese as published by the government has legal effect; the text below is a copy of it. Every English rendering below is a translation and says which kind: the Ministry of Justice's translation, or this site's machine translation, whose model and date the Sources list names. They are never merged and never substituted for one another. --- ### 第三条（著作物の発行） — (Publication of Works) caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System art-3 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-3 **第一項** 著作物は、その性質に応じ公衆の要求を満たすことができる相当程度の部数の複製物が、第二十一条に規定する権利を有する者若しくはその許諾（第六十三条第一項の規定による利用の許諾をいう。以下この項、次条第一項、第四条の二及び第六十三条を除き、以下この章及び次章において同じ。）を得た者又は第七十九条の出版権の設定を受けた者若しくはその複製許諾（第八十条第三項の規定による複製の許諾をいう。以下同じ。）を得た者によつて作成され、頒布された場合（第二十六条、第二十六条の二第一項又は第二十六条の三に規定する権利を有する者の権利を害しない場合に限る。）において、発行されたものとする。 art-3/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-3/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-3/par-1 A work has been published if the person that owns the right set forth in Article 21, a person authorized thereby (meaning the person is authorized to exploit a work pursuant to the provisions of Article 63, paragraph (1); the same applies hereinafter in this and the following Chapter, except this paragraph, Article 4, paragraph (1), Article 4-2 and Article 63), a person in favor of whom the print rights set forth in Article 79 have been established, or a person authorized thereby to reproduce such work (meaning the person is authorized to reproduce a work pursuant to the provisions of Article 80, paragraph (3); the same applies hereinafter) makes and distributes copies of the work in quantities that are reasonably sufficient for meeting public demand, commensurate with the nature of the work (limited to when the person does so without prejudice to the rights of the person that owns the rights set forth in Article 26, Article 26-2, paragraph (1), or Article 26-3). Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第二項** 二次的著作物である翻訳物の前項に規定する部数の複製物が第二十八条の規定により第二十一条に規定する権利と同一の権利を有する者又はその許諾を得た者によつて作成され、頒布された場合（第二十八条の規定により第二十六条、第二十六条の二第一項又は第二十六条の三に規定する権利と同一の権利を有する者の権利を害しない場合に限る。）には、その原著作物は、発行されたものとみなす。 art-3/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-3/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-3/par-2 An original work is deemed to have been published if the person that, pursuant to the provisions of Article 28, owns the same right to the relevant work as the one prescribed in Article 21 or a person authorized thereby makes and distributes copies of a translation of that original work which constitutes a derivative work, in the quantity provided for in the preceding paragraph (limited to when the person does so without prejudice to the rights of the person that, pursuant to the provisions of Article 28, owns the same right to the relevant work as a right set forth in Article 26, Article 26-2, paragraph (1), or Article 26-3). Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第三項** 著作物がこの法律による保護を受けるとしたならば前二項の権利を有すべき者又はその者からその著作物の利用の承諾を得た者は、それぞれ前二項の権利を有する者又はその許諾を得た者とみなして、前二項の規定を適用する。 art-3/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-3/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-3/par-3 The person that would own a right referred to in either of the preceding two paragraphs if the work were protected under this Act and a person authorized thereby to exploit the work are, respectively, deemed to be the person that owns that right and the person authorized thereby, and the provisions of those paragraphs apply. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System --- ## Cites - art-3/par-1: 第二十一条 → 著作権法 第二十一条 (Article 21), art-21 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-21 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-21 - art-3/par-1: 第六十三条第一項 → 著作権法 第六十三条第一項 (Article 63, paragraph (1)), art-63/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-63/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-63/par-1 - art-3/par-1: この項 → 著作権法 第三条第一項 (Article 3, paragraph (1)), art-3/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-3/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-3/par-1 - art-3/par-1: 次条第一項 → 著作権法 第四条第一項 (Article 4, paragraph (1)), art-4/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-4/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-4/par-1 - art-3/par-1: 第四条の二 → 著作権法 第四条の二 (Article 4-2), art-4-2 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-4-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-4-2 - art-3/par-1: 第六十三条 → 著作権法 第六十三条 (Article 63), art-63 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-63 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-63 - art-3/par-1: 第七十九条 → 著作権法 第七十九条 (Article 79), art-79 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-79 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-79 - art-3/par-1: 第八十条第三項 → 著作権法 第八十条第三項 (Article 80, paragraph (3)), art-80/par-3 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-80/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-80/par-3 - art-3/par-1: 第二十六条 → 著作権法 第二十六条 (Article 26), art-26 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-26 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-26 - art-3/par-1: 第二十六条の二第一項 → 著作権法 第二十六条の二第一項 (Article 26-2, paragraph (1)), art-26-2/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-26-2/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-26-2/par-1 - art-3/par-1: 第二十六条の三 → 著作権法 第二十六条の三 (Article 26-3), art-26-3 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-26-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-26-3 - art-3/par-2: 前項 → 著作権法 第三条第一項 (Article 3, paragraph (1)), art-3/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-3/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-3/par-1 - art-3/par-2: 第二十八条 → 著作権法 第二十八条 (Article 28), art-28 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-28 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-28 - art-3/par-2: 第二十一条 → 著作権法 第二十一条 (Article 21), art-21 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-21 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-21 - art-3/par-2: 第二十六条 → 著作権法 第二十六条 (Article 26), art-26 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-26 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-26 - art-3/par-2: 第二十六条の二第一項 → 著作権法 第二十六条の二第一項 (Article 26-2, paragraph (1)), art-26-2/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-26-2/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-26-2/par-1 - art-3/par-2: 第二十六条の三 → 著作権法 第二十六条の三 (Article 26-3), art-26-3 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-26-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-26-3 - art-3/par-3: 前二項 → 著作権法 第三条第一項 (Article 3, paragraph (1)), art-3/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-3/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-3/par-1 - art-3/par-3: 前二項 → 著作権法 第三条第二項 (Article 3, paragraph (2)), art-3/par-2 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-3/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-3/par-2 ## Cited by 3 provisions cite this one. No official source publishes this direction. - 著作権法 第三条第一項（著作物の発行） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-3/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-3/par-1 - 著作権法 第三条第二項（著作物の発行） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-3/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-3/par-2 - 著作権法 第三条第三項（著作物の発行） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/copyright-act/art-3/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/345AC0000000048/art-3/par-3 --- ## Sources - e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁) — 著作権法 — the text in force from 2026-06-24 (https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/345AC0000000048/20260624_508AC0000000048), retrieved 2026-10-19 - Japanese Law Translation Database System, Ministry of Justice (法務省) — Copyright Act — Ministry of Justice translation (https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/4207/tb), retrieved 2026-10-19 - This site's parser, version 210 — 著作権法 — structure, counts, cross-references and defined terms, computed 2026-10-19