Victor Hugo & Berne Convention 1878
Victor Hugo & Berne Convention 1878
Victor Hugo (1802–1885)
Hugo was a well-known French novelist who was noted not just for his literary works but also for his pivotal role in rallying support for worldwide author rights protection.
Internationally recognized authors were becoming increasingly worried about unauthorised copying of their works in other countries at the time, but existing bilateral copyright treaties were complex and difficult to enforce. They founded the International Literary Association in Paris in 1878, under Hugo’s guidance.
The committee produced a draft text of an international copyright agreement during its 1883 conference in Berne, which Hugo presided over.They urged the Swiss government to hold an international conference, based on the draft, to establish an international copyright convention. Worldwide discussions proceeded in Berne for the next three years, culminating in the signing of the Berne Convention in 1886, which laid the groundwork for international copyright protection.
The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, commonly referred to as the Berne Convention, is an international copyright agreement that was signed in Berne, Switzerland, in 1886. The Berne Convention has 179 signatories, the majority of whom are also signatories to the Paris Act of 1971.
The Berne Convention established numerous facets of current copyright law, including the premise that a copyright exists when a work is “fixed,” rather than having to be registered. It also makes it mandatory for governments to recognize copyrights held by nationals of other convention parties.
What exactly is copyright?
The word “copyright” (or “author’s right”) refers to the legal rights that artists hold over their literary and creative works. Books, music, paintings, sculpture, and films are all covered by copyright, as are computer programs, databases, ads, maps, and technical drawings.
SEE ALSO:
America’s First Copyright Law (1790);
Copyright in the Digital Age (1999);
Expanded Copyrights (2001);
Google Books and Fair Use (2010).
SOURCES: