International Copyright Relations of the US

International Copyright Relations of the US

This circular provides a brief introduction of the international treaties, conventions, and other bilateral instruments that the United States has agreed with other nations, and it gives details of the participation of other nations in these same instruments. There is no such thing as an “international copyright” that will automatically protect an author’s writings throughout the world. Protection against unauthorized use in a particular country depends on the national laws of that country.

Many countries offer protection to foreign works under certain conditions that have been greatly simplified by international copyright treaties and conventions.  The United States is a member of many treaties and conventions affecting copyright. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) administers the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works; the WIPO Copyright Treaty; the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty; the Geneva Convention for the Protection of Producers of Phonograms Against Unauthorized Duplication of Their Phonograms; the Brussels Convention Relating to the Distribution of Program-Carrying Signals Transmitted by Satellite; and the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization administers the Univer-sal Copyright Convention.

See further at International Copyright Relations of the US