Distribution Act 1958

DISTRIBUTION ACT 1958

AKTA PEMBAHAGIAN 1958

Act 300 · consolidated to 1 Jan 2006 · 12 pp

Socio-economic rightsIntellectual property rights

This copy of the Act is 20 years old. Any amendment made since 1 January 2006 is not in this text. Check the AGC record for later amendments.

Why it matters

What this does to artists

Copyright lasts fifty years past the author's death, so it is an estate asset. This Act governs intestate distribution for non-Muslims and decides who inherits a catalogue when an artist dies without a will.

Watch this

For Muslim estates, faraid under state law governs instead. Either way, an artist with a catalogue and no will leaves a rights problem behind.

Start here

What to read first

Section numbers read out of the AGC text itself

s.4Law regulating distribution

s.7Trusts in favour of issue and other classes of relatives of intestate

s.2Application

In practice

Where this one bites

Scenario

Archive, conserve or exhibit heritage material

Listing constrains the owner, export catches the unaware, and copyright outlives everyone who could give permi…

Full arrangement of sections 10 sections · show / hide

Extracted from the AGC PDF on this page.

s.1Short title and application

s.2Application

s.3Interpretation

s.4Law regulating distribution

s.5Persons held to be similarly related to deceased

s.6Succession to intestate estates

s.7Trusts in favour of issue and other classes of relatives of intestate

s.8Application to cases of partial intestacy

s.9Children’s advancements not to be taken into account

s.10Repeal

Full text

Read the law

PDF · 0.4 MB · hosted by ALIM

English text

Open the full text →

Source of record · lom.agc.gov.my/act-detail.php?act=300&lang=BI

Who this reaches

Visual artsMusicFilm & TVPerforming artsLiterature, writing & publishingFashion & craftDigital & mediaMuseum & archivingContent creationEverything else

Important notice

This page is published by ALIM (Art × Law Initiative Malaysia) as general legal information for Malaysia’s creative communities. It is not legal advice. It does not take your circumstances into account, and reading it does not create a solicitor-client relationship with ALIM or with anyone associated with it.

The law changes. Each Act reproduced here is the Attorney General’s Chambers’ consolidated reprint and carries the date it was consolidated to; amendments made after that date do not appear in the text, and the authoritative version of any Malaysian law is the one published in the Federal Gazette. Subsidiary legislation, state enactments and local authority by-laws may also apply to your situation and are largely outside this library.

Please do not act, or decide not to act, on the strength of this page alone. Take advice from an advocate and solicitor on your own facts. To the extent permitted by law, ALIM and its contributors accept no liability for any loss arising from reliance on this page.

If you have a live problem, talk to us. It is free and confidential.