Copyright Law & International Treaties
Most countries enact some form of copyright law to protect the intellectual property of authors and creators. As technology advances and it becomes easier to distribute copyrighted works on a global scale, several international treaties have aimed to strengthen and enhance copyright protection and the enforcement of intellectual property laws.
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World Intellectual Property Organization Copyright Treaty
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Adopted by the member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 1996, the WIPO Copyright Treaty extends copyright protections considered necessary due to advances in technology. Computer programs are protected as literary works under WIPO; databases are also protected.
Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works
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Accepted in 1886, the Berne Convention was the earliest international agreement concerning copyright. Under the provisions of the Berne Convention, all states adopting the convention must acknowledge the copyright of authors from other member countries. The United States joined the Berne Convention in 1988.
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Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement
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The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is the newest proposed international agreement regarding copyright law. A draft of the agreement was released to the public in April 2010. The intents of ACTA are to halt the increase in trade of counterfeit goods globally and to protect copyrighted works against piracy. The provisions of ACTA would go beyond the scope of current U.S. copyright law.
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References
- Photo Credit copyright image by cam422 from Fotolia.com
