What Was the Berne Convention & Why Is it Important to Copyrighting?
The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works established a framework for international copyright laws, which are still in effect. It is an agreement among several countries to provide copyright protection for literary, artistic and scientific works.
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History
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The Berne Convention was established on September 9, 1886, to protect an author's or artist's rights to his literary or artistic work internationally. Between 1896 and 1979, the agreement underwent numerous revisions and amendments to address a changing social and political environment, including provisions for the needs of developing countries
Participating Countries
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The Berne Convention signatories include more than 160 countries. Approximately 160 countries participate in the Berne Convention. It includes industrial nations and developing nations, all of whom are also members of the World Trade Organization and participate in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
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Literary and Artistic Rights
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The Berne Convention guarantees authors and artists the right to authorize translations, reproductions and adaptations of their work. It also honors an author's or artist's right to alter and revise his literary or artistic work.
Importance to Copyright
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The Berne Convention provides international copyright protection for an author or artist. The work's creator is afforded the same rights in all member countries of the Berne Convention as the countries' national authors and artists. It extends copyright protection beyond the boundaries of an author's own country.
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References
- Photo Credit copyright image by Angie Lingnau from Fotolia.com world map image by Attila Toro from Fotolia.com
