The legal framework
The Copyright Act 2005 protects works for the author's life plus seventy years and operates a registration system through the Copyright Office. Ghana also protects expressions of folklore: their use for commercial purposes requires authorisation from the National Folklore Board, including by Ghanaians, a rule found in only a handful of countries.
Ghana's Copyright Act of 2005 protects works for the author's life plus seventy years and contains something less common: protection for expressions of folklore, which are vested in the state and require authorisation for commercial use, including by Ghanaians. The Copyright Office handles registration, which is voluntary but valuable as evidence, and collecting societies administer music rights.
Key points
| Statute | Copyright Act 2005 |
|---|---|
| Term | Life plus 70 years |
| Registration | Available through the Copyright Office; commonly used |
| Folklore | Commercial use of expressions of folklore requires authorisation from the National Folklore Board |
| Permitted use | Private use, quotation, teaching, reporting |
| Enforcement | Copyright Office, police, and the High Court |
| Criminal enforcement | Copyright offences are prosecuted by the Copyright Office |
In practice
- Assume everything you find online is protected: absence of a copyright notice means nothing.
- Look for an explicit licence — Creative Commons, a stock licence, a written permission — and keep a copy of it.
- Credit alone is not a defence: attribution does not replace permission.
- For anything commercial, get permission in writing and keep it for as long as you use the work.
- Clear folklore rights before any commercial use of traditional patterns or melodies.
Where to go
- Copyright Office of Ghana.
- National Folklore Board.
- GHAMRO for music rights.
Worth knowing
The folklore provisions catch uses that most creators assume are free — traditional patterns, melodies and stories — and the authorisation requirement applies to nationals too. The folklore provisions catch uses most creators assume are free, and the authorisation requirement applies to nationals as well as foreigners.
Frequently asked questions
What is folklore protection in Ghana?
The Copyright Act protects expressions of folklore — traditional music, designs, symbols including adinkra, and forms of expression — and vests the rights in the state in perpetuity. Commercial use requires permission from the National Folklore Board, and this applies to Ghanaians as well as foreigners.
Who owns a photograph of the two of us?
Copyright belongs to whoever pressed the shutter, not to the people in the picture — so a photograph taken by a friend or a wedding photographer is theirs unless the contract says otherwise. Being in the image gives you a separate claim based on privacy or personality rather than copyright. If you want to use wedding photographs freely, negotiate a licence in writing before the day, not afterwards.
Official sources and links
- Ghana.gov — official government portal