SolveYourProblem Article Series: Copyrights
I Need To Understand Copyright Law
Is
There International Copyright Law?
Surprise!
There Is NO International Copyright Law
Many
people are surprised to learn that there is no international
copyright law. Yes, that's right. There isn't an international
copyright law that will protect your work on the other side
of the world. However, it is important to note that most countries
do offer some form of protection to what is deemed as “foreign”
works.
International
conventions and treaties have done much to protect owners
of copyrights around the world. With the world seemingly
becoming smaller every day the United States took a look at
its stance on the European copyright treaty known as the Berne
Convention. Basically, the Berne Convention of 1886 involved
European nations coming together to seek a uniform copyright
law to keep their copyright owners from having to register
for copyrights in individuals European countries. The United
States signed on to the Berne Convention introduced made it
into a U.S. law known as the Berne Implementation Act of 1988.
If
you are seeking to have your work protected in a particular
country you need to find out what kind of protection foreign
authors have in that country. Some countries offer little or
no protection to foreign authors. It should be noted that
the U.S. Copyright Office is not allowed to give authors recommendations
or the names of attorneys or agents that could help them understand
foreign copyright laws. However, with a little investigation
it is not hard to find someone who is an expert on foreign
copyright law. These individuals can help you learn more about
copyright protection and how your work is deemed in a foreign
country.
Someone who works in international copyright law will tell
you that it is different than most other sectors of law. It
involves knowing the copyright law of two or more countries.
Every country has their own way of granting and protecting
someone’s copyright. The individual criteria of each country
must be taken into consideration when you are dealing with
international copyright law. It is important to note that some
countries do not have any intellectual property rights and
some countries even grant more copyright protections than even
the United States. International copyright laws involve understanding
international treaties and conventions, like the Berne Treaty
and WIPO Copyright Treaty listed above. If you are interested
in pursuing a degree in law, you may want to explore the international
copyright law sector. With the world becoming one big neighborhood,
you will probably not lack for work.
People that have copyrighted works need to be aware that there
are differences in the copyright laws in some nations. While
it is true that the United States has signed treaties with
some nations, your work will not be protected in every country
of the world. As stated, the United States is a member of the
Berne treaty. In addition, the United States is a member of
the WIPO Copyright Treaty. This treaty works in conjunction
with the Berne treaty yet it also covers and gives protection
to databases and computer programs. If you would like more
information on international copyright law you should check
with an attorney who specializes in international copyright
law.
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: 2008
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