Protecting Copyright Internationally
The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (1886) is the main treaty regarding international copyright protection.
- administered by the WIPO
- states that any party to the convention agrees to protect the copyrighted works of foreign citizens at least as much as it protects the copyrighted works of its own citizens
- 175+ countries are members of the Berne Convention
- United States became a member in 1989
- took a long time to join because the convention requires member countries to provide a minimum level of copyright protection
- United States had to rewrite its copyright laws to give these protection
- Berne Convention requires each member nation to recognize the following:
- A minimum term of copyright protection that is the life of the author plus 50 years
- Freedom from formalities such as notice or registration to recognize a copyright
- Protection for certain moral rights of the author