WHAT IS COPYRIGHT? - A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works is the keystone for all international copyright agreements. It is administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Although there is no such thing as an "international copyright" today, most countries have agreed to basic copyright protection terms. These guarantee certain minimum rights to authors, like the right to authorize reproduction and translation of the work.
The music industry also relies on treaties that specifically protect sound recordings, including the Rome Convention, the Geneva Phonograms Convention and the WTO TRIPs Agreement.
Individual countries have developed their own copyright laws, so the length of copyright can vary from country to country. In the US, for example, copyright exists for 95 years, while in the UK, this exists for 70 years after the author's death.
The latest available government estimates in Europe and the United States value copyright-based industries respectively at 360 billion Euros and US$430 billion, representing more than 5% of GDP. It is predicted that the age of electronic commerce will see copyrighted material becoming one of the most valuable commodities to be offered and sold online.
