Armenia
Are Armenia stamps public domain?
Stamps of Armenia are public domain at any date, in the archive's reading of Wikimedia Commons. Commons says stamps appear to qualify as state symbols and signs, which Armenia's copyright law leaves unprotected, and Armenian postal law calls stamps state postal payment symbols. There is no cutoff year.
Why any date?
Armenia's Law on Copyright and Related Rights, in its 2013 version, does not protect state symbols and signs, a group it illustrates with flags, emblems, orders and bank notes.1 Commons says stamps appear to belong to that group. It points to Law HO-46-N of December 14, 2004, On Postal Communication, amended in 2023, which describes postal stamps as state postal payment symbols.1 Commons tags Armenian stamps as works the law does not protect.12 Commons' wording is cautious: it says stamps appear to qualify, and it rests that on the two laws.1
Postal history and copyright
Russian stamps were used in Armenia from 1858. The First Republic of Armenia was founded on May 28, 1918, and its first stamps, in 1919, were Russian stamps overprinted for the new state.34 A set designed by Arshak Fetvadjian was printed in Paris but never delivered, and was sold to collectors in Paris in 1924.3 From 1924 to 1991 Soviet stamps were used, and the present republic issued its first stamps on April 28, 1992.3 Commons' note rests on the 2013 copyright law and the 2004 postal law. It does not say whether stamps of the First Republic count as state signs. The archive applies the same Yes to them, and treats the question as open.
References 4
- ↑ Copyright rules for Armenia. Wikimedia Commons, June 7, 2025. Accessed October 8, 2026.
- ↑ Wikimedia Commons license tag (Armenia). Wikimedia Commons, May 4, 2025. Accessed October 8, 2026.
- ↑ Postage stamps and postal history of Armenia. Wikipedia, May 16, 2026. Accessed October 8, 2026.
- ↑ Հայկական փոստի և նամականիշների պատմություն. Wikipedia, July 6, 2025. Accessed October 8, 2026.
Copyright law in Armenia
Armenia’s own stamps follow the rule below. The historical issuers named here are read under the country’s general copyright law. A design answers Likely yes or Likely no only when every term that could apply agrees, and Unclear when they disagree.
- Named designer
- 70 years after the designer’s death
- Anonymous
- 70 years from issue
- Before 2006
- 50 years after the designer’s death; 50 years from issue for an anonymous stamp.
- Older stamps
- A stamp whose protection had already run out was protected again when the term was extended.
- Note
- Stamps appear to count as state symbols and signs, which are not protected. It is not clear whether the change to 70 years took effect in 2006 or in 2013.
Historical issuers read under this law: Transcaucasian Federation.
Read from Wikimedia Commons, copyright rules for Armenia, revision 1041118657, checked October 8, 2026
The rule by period
The same rule covers Armenia (pre-Soviet).
Armenia stamps and the public domain: questions
- Are Armenian stamps public domain?
- Yes. In the archive's reading, Armenian stamps are public domain at any date of issue. Armenia's copyright law leaves state symbols and signs unprotected, and its 2004 postal law calls stamps state postal payment symbols, so stamps appear to fall in that group.
- Are stamps of the First Republic of Armenia public domain?
- The archive answers Yes, but treats the question as open. Stamps of the First Republic of Armenia, from 1918 to 1920, get the same answer as later Armenian stamps, yet that answer rests on laws of 2004 and 2013, and Wikimedia Commons does not address the earlier issues.
- Is there a cutoff year for Armenian stamps?
- No. Armenian stamps are public domain at any date in the archive's reading, because Armenia's copyright law leaves state symbols and signs unprotected and stamps appear to qualify as state postal payment symbols. That exemption carries no date, so the year of issue does not change the answer.