What is the Berne Convention?

The Berne Convention is an international agreement created to protect intellectual property (IP) rights, such as copyrights, across different countries. It was initially signed in 1886 in Bern, Switzerland, and has been updated several times since then. Under the Berne Convention, all member countries recognize the copyright protection of any works of authorship, such as books, films, music, and artwork, that originate from signatory countries. This means that if you create a work in Washington, your copyright will be protected if the work is distributed in another signatory country. This kind of protection is necessary because copyright laws vary from country to country and having a single, unified agreement helps protect creators’ works across international borders. The Berne Convention also allows signatory countries to extend copyright protection to foreign works, meaning that an author from a signatory country can have their works protected regardless of where it is published. Additionally, the Berne Convention offers some degree of protection for unpublished works, meaning that even if the work is never released, it can still be protected. The Berne Convention is important because it provides a single, unified agreement for how copyright laws should be applied and enforced. This helps to ensure that authors and creators around the world are able to protect their works, even if they are distributed in another country.

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