The criteria of copyrightability used in Russian judicial practice

This article addresses the problem of identifying criteria for copyrightability and non-copyrightability in the Russian legal system, especially in judicial practice. An analysis of court rulings issued over the past few years warrant the conclusion that there is a trend towards setting looser standards of originality and creativity. The article also describes a trend in Russian judicial practice to grant copyright protection to works of low authorship and goes into problems and contradictions that this entails. It compares principles that evolved in Russian law with similar principles used abroad, mainly in Germany.