Legal Definitions - Berne Convention

The Berne Convention is an international agreement that protects copyrighted works from being copied or used without permission. It was created in 1886 in Berne, Switzerland with 10 European countries as members. Today, there are over 180 member countries and city-states.

The Berne Convention requires that all members have certain levels of copyright protection, and they must protect the works made by citizens of other members. This means that if someone creates a work in one country, it is protected in all the other member countries without needing to register it.

For example, if a musician in France creates a song, it is automatically protected in the United States, Japan, and any other member country. The musician does not need to register the song in each country separately.

The Berne Convention also establishes rules for how long a work is protected and how much control the creator has over it. For example, a book is protected for the life of the author plus 50 years, and the author has the right to decide who can publish it and how it can be used.

The United States became a member of the Berne Convention in 1989, and it has helped to create a global standard for copyright protection. By following the rules of the Berne Convention, countries can work together to protect the rights of creators and ensure that their works are not stolen or used without permission.