Copyrights are considered as tools for economic and cultural development that should contribute to the enrichment of society through

the widest possible availability of creative goods and services useful to society and the highest possible level of economic activity based on the production, circulation and further development of such goods and services.

These objectives are supposed to be achieved because copyright owners can seek to exploit their legal rights by turning them into commercial advantages. The possibility of attaining such advantages, it is believed, encourages further innovation and creativity leading to enhanced quality of lives through enrichment of culture.


Without the protection of Copyright, economically useful knowledge or culturally enriching works are likely not only to be expensive to produce and market but difficult to control in a competitive market. The regulations of Copyright therefore, prevent free-riding and thus encourage those capable of providing such knowledge or works to make further investments in its production.

“Whereas, the progressive enhancement of our unique culture and further enrichment of our national cultural heritage can only be sustained in an environment conducive to inspiring expressions of creativity by authors in the domain of literature and the arts;

Whereas, it is expedient in the overall interest of society to protect the rights of authors over their creative works in order to foster and encourage their intellectual endeavours by assuring them of just rewards and recognition for their efforts;

Now, therefore, be it enacted by the Gyalyong Tshogdu Chhenmo as follows:”

Preamble, Copyright Act of the Kingdom of Bhutan, 2001


The country’s philosophy of development was most clearly enunciated by His Majesty King Jigme Singye Wangchuck when he stated that “Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product.” This statement has been the guiding principle of the country’s development efforts for the last two decades. It recognizes that there are many dimensions to development and that economic goals alone are not sufficient. All development efforts must seek to contribute to both the material and spiritual well-being of the person to enhance Gross National Happiness.

Having excepted that the maximization of Gross National Happiness is a philosophy and objective of the country’s development, it was necessary to more clearly identify the main areas, which would most contribute towards furthering this philosophy and objective. Recognizing that a wide range of factors contribute to human well-being and happiness and that it may not be possible to fully and exhaustively define or list everything for the purpose of its development planning, the country identified four major areas as the main pillars of Gross National Happiness. These are:

economic growth and development’

preservation and promotion of cultural heritage,

preservation and sustainable use of the environment, and good governance.

Ninth Plan Main Document (2002-2007)