          
          
          
                      International Copyright Relations
          
               The United States' international copyright relations 
          are governed principally by the Berne Convention for the 
          Protection of Literary and Artistic Works ("Berne"), to 
          which more than 80 other nations adhere.
          
               The United States is also a member of the Universal 
          Copyright Convention (UCC) and has special bilateral 
          relations with a number of foreign countries. Under the 
          Berne Convention, works created by a national of a Berne 
          Union country, or works first or simultaneously published 
          in a Berne country, are automatically eligible for 
          protection in every other country of the Berne Union, 
          without registration or compliance with any other formality 
          of law.  This is true for works first published in the 
          United States on or after March 1, 1989, the date on which 
          the United States joined Berne. Works first published 
          before March 1989 were protected in many countries by 
          virtue of our membership in the UCC, if published with the 
          formalities specified in that convention. Older works may 
          also be protected as a consequence of simultaneous 
          publication in a Berne country, or by virtue of bilateral 
          obligations. In any event, the requirements and protection 
          available vary from country to country and should be 
          investigated before first publication anywhere.
          
          
