Berne Convention


Berne Convention

A treaty governing international recognition of copyrights. The Convention requires members to apply the laws of their own country to works and inventions originally from other countries. For example, a book published in Australia is treated in Russia the same as if it had been published originally in Russia. This extension of copyright does not require additional registration. That is, the author in Australia does not have to re-register his/her book in Russia for it to be recognized as his/her intellectual property. Author Victor Hugo originated the idea for the Berne Convention, which was signed in 1886.