Legal Definitions - Brussels Convention

The Brussels Convention, also known as the Brussels Satellite Convention, is a treaty that was established in 1974 to regulate the broadcasting and cable retransmission of signals using satellites. This treaty standardized the regulation of satellite transmissions across different countries.

The Convention focuses on the regulation of the signal rather than copyright or neighboring rights. This means that the content being transmitted is protected even if it is not protected by any intellectual property rights.

For example, if a television program is transmitted via satellite, the signal carrying the program is protected under the Brussels Convention, even if the content of the program is not protected by any copyright or neighboring rights.

The United States ratified the Brussels Satellite Convention in 1984, which means that it is legally bound to follow the regulationsset forth in the treaty.