35 countries compared
This page is not legal advice. The law of the country where you live applies to you. Each country has its own section on the region pages of this chapter.
"OST" means observe, study and test. "Interop" means decompilation or reverse engineering for interoperability. "(nc)" means not confirmed. A dash means the point is not known.
| Country | Study and decompile | Lock ban and its exceptions | Preservation exception | Term for a game's code | Orphan works | Shut-down games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Fair use (Sega, Connectix); 1201(f) interop | Act and tools banned; interop; triennial exemptions incl. server-dead games | 1201 exemption, playable on premises only | 95 years from publication for company works (nc) | — | No law |
| European Union | OST Art. 5(3); interop Art. 6; contract cannot override | Act and tools banned | DSM Art. 6 (EFGAMP says it covers games) | Life + 70 (nc) | — | ECI answered with a voluntary code, June 2026 |
| United Kingdom | OST s.50BA; interop s.50B | Act and tools banned | — | Life + 70 (nc) | — | "No plans" to change law |
| Japan | Non-enjoyment use Art. 30-4 | Two regimes; UCPA crimes for services; no interop exception known | Art. 31; NDL deposit of physical games | 70 years from publication (nc) | Art. 67; new scheme May 2026 | — |
| China | Study design ideas, Art. 17 | Banned; RE research exception Art. 50(5) | Art. 24(1)(8) incl. museums | 50 years from publication | None known | NPPA licence for any release |
| South Korea | Interop Art. 101-4; examine and test 101-3 | Banned; RE exception; 3-year notices | Art. 31 | Life + 70 (nc) | Art. 50 ministerial approval | Refunds and compensation from 2024; private servers criminal |
| Taiwan | Fair use Art. 65; adapt for own machine Art. 59 | Banned; RE exception Art. 80-2 | Art. 48 | 50 years from release | None known | — |
| Hong Kong | Fair dealing; decompilation clause deleted 1997 | Tool crimes; interop s.273D | ss.46–53 (nc) | Life + 50 (nc) | None known | — |
| India | OST, interop and personal copies, s.52(1)(aa)–(ad) | Crime only with intent to infringe; lawful purposes excused | s.52(1)(n) if non-digital copy held | Life + 60 | s.31A licence | — |
| Singapore | OST s.240; interop s.239 | Banned; interop s.430 | s.232; may circumvent for it from 2025 | Life + 70 | None known | — |
| Malaysia | Back-up s.40 only | Banned; interop s.36A | State bodies s.13(2)(i) | Life + 50 | None known | — |
| Indonesia | One R&D or back-up copy, Pasal 45 | Banned; no interop exception | Pasal 47 (nc) | 50 years from publication | None known | — |
| Philippines | Interop decompilation as fair use s.185.1 | Double damages; no exceptions | s.188.1 non-profit libraries | Life + 50 | None known | — |
| Thailand | Research or study s.35 | Banned; statutory exceptions removed 2022 | s.34; s.35(9) | Life + 50; company 50 years | None known | — |
| Vietnam | Back-up only | Added 2022; exceptions unclear | Art. 25(1)(e) | Life + 50 | None known | — |
| Australia | Study s.47B; interop s.47D | Civil action; interop exception; Take-Two 2024 | ss.113H–113M, any material | Life + 70 (nc) | New scheme April 2026 | ACCC refund wins; shutdowns untested |
| New Zealand | OST s.80C; interop s.80A; terms void s.80D | Access controls; general non-infringing exception s.226E | Planned for 2027 | Life + 50, rising to 70 by 2028 | Planned | — |
| Canada | Interop s.30.61; compatibility s.30.6 | Banned; interop widened 2024; repair | s.30.1 obsolete formats | Life + 70 | Copyright Board s.77 | — |
| Mexico | Back-up only; interop in lock article | Banned; crime for profit; interop exception | One copy of out-of-print work | Life + 100 | None known | — |
| Brazil | None beyond back-up | Civil, copy control only; no exceptions | None | 50 years from publication | None known | PL 3612/2026 pending |
| Argentina | None beyond back-up | None | None | Life + 70 | None known | — |
| Chile | Interop and R&D, art. 71 Ñ | None | art. 71 I, off market 3 years | Life + 70 | None known | — |
| Colombia | Use copies; interop in lock law | Civil; interop exception; DNDA review | Lending and terminals | 70 years from publication for company works | Institutions, not software | Lock disclosure under consumer law |
| South Africa | Narrow; Bill pending | None in current Act (nc) | Bill only | 50 years from release (nc) | Bill only | — |
| Nigeria | Open fair dealing; program copies; terms void | Banned; interop s.50(8) | s.25, broad | Life + 70 | Informal via s.25(1)(e) | — |
| Kenya | Interop decompilation s.26A | Added 2019, details unclear | — | Extended 2019, unclear | — | — |
| Egypt | Back-up only (nc) | Tool offence (nc) | — | Life + 50 (nc) | — | — |
| Israel | Fair use; interop s.24 (nc) | None (nc) | s.30 (nc) | Life + 70 (nc) | — | — |
| Turkey | OST and interop, art. 38 (nc) | Tool offence (nc) | — | Life + 70 (nc) | — | — |
| UAE | Back-up (nc) | Yes, details unclear | — | Life + 50 (nc) | — | — |
| Saudi Arabia | Interop acts, new 2026 law | New, details unclear | Library exception widened | Largely unchanged | State body | — |
| Russia | OST and interop, art. 1280 (nc) | Banned (nc) | art. 1275 (nc) | Life + 70 (nc) | — | Draft game law |
| Ukraine | OST and interop, art. 25 | Banned; free uses exempt | art. 24 | Life + 70 | art. 29 | — |
| Switzerland | Interop art. 21 (nc) | Banned; permitted uses exempt (nc) | art. 24(1bis) (nc) | Life + 50 for programs (nc) | art. 22b (nc) | — |
| Norway | OST and interop, §§ 41–42 (nc) | EU model (nc) | Yes (nc) | Life + 70 (nc) | Likely, EEA | — |
The countries fall into three groups. The EU-model group is the EU, the UK, Korea, Singapore, New Zealand, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Norway and partly India. Its laws clearly permit observation and permit decompilation only for narrow purposes. The trade-agreement group is Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Australia and others. Its laws add strict lock bans with an interoperability exception. The third group is Brazil, Argentina, Egypt, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, the UAE and South Africa under its current Act. Its laws have only back-up and research rules. They do not expressly permit decompilation.