On Validity of the Status of Orphan Works

Vladimir A. Udalkin, Leading Lawyer at Ermolino, JSC, PhD (Law) It is considered that the regulation of the use of orphan works is a necessary element of copyright legislation. Due to the lack of such in Russia, attempts are being made to supplement the Part IV of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation with appropriate norms. The State Duma of the Russian Federation is currently considering a draft law on orphan works. However, the issue of the validity of the orphan works status and its coordination with other copyright institutions is not given sufficient attention. In this article an attempt is made to consider some disadvantages of the orphan works status.