The objective of this article is to analyze the protected legal right of intellectual property crime, specifically copyright and justify its criminal protection. The article explains in the first place, the protected legal right of intellectual property crime in general and specifically to copyright in Panama and, secondly, its legal nature as a blank criminal rule described in the laws and special intellectual property treaties.

In the development of the article, a research method of legal-doctrinal type was used, with a documentary nature, based on legal doctrine, legal dogmatic and the Panamanian legal system based on hermeneutics. The article highlights the importance of protection against the phenomenon of piracy, which is harmful behavior in copyright and its impact on the formal market.