1.2: Protection of Copyrighted Works Internationally

Promote other countries’ adherence to international copyright treaties and agreements with intellectual property provisions and other countries’ implementation of effective national laws that will ensure protection and use of U. S. copyrighted works and compensation to their creators.

Other Information:

The Copyright Office offers advice to Congress on multilateral agreements and works with executive branch agencies to promote copyright protection throughout the world. Protection against infringement of a U.S. copyrighted work in another country depends primarily on that country’s laws. Most countries offer copyright protection to foreign works under the aegis of international copyright treaties and conventions and on the basis of national treatment, where foreign works should receive the same protection as domestic works. Some countries harbor lucrative piracy sectors that copy U. S. works without permission. The Copyright Office works with executive branch agencies such as the U. S. Trade Representative and the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection to ensure that these countries’ laws and enforcement are targeted in U. S. trade policy, and that illegally copied works do not enter the U. S. market. The Copyright Office’s activities to assist in the protection of U. S. copyrighted works abroad advance the economic welfare of the United States by encouraging the continued creation and dissemination of works to the public throughout the world. In addition to working through multilateral organizations such as the World Intellectual Property Organization, a UN specialized agency, the United States is increasing its promotion of free trade agreements with individual countries and groups of countries. These agreements contain extensive provisions on intellectual property and enforcement. Means: The means to accomplish this objective include • identifying and proposing ways to address copyright and related rights protection issues • evaluating treaties and other proposals, such as trade agreements • participating as experts on U. S. delegations • drafting treaty and trade agreement language • speaking at, and participating in, various international programs • working with international organizations and other countries to strengthen protections of U. S. works abroad • providing training to foreign government officials on U. S. copyright law and effective national copyright systems • assisting the Department of Justice in litigation involving important issues of copyright law and policy Three areas of activity support accomplishment of this objective: 1 Multilateral negotiations • World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) treaty negotiations and experts meetings • World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations • Hague Convention on Jurisdiction and Foreign Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters • Intergovernmental Committee of the Universal Copyright Convention (UCC), administered by UNESCO, to oversee accessions to the UCC • Trade agreements: participation in the development and implementation of WTO obligations, the ongoing work of WIPO, and the WTO Council on TRIPS (traderelated aspects of intellectual property rights) 2 Bilateral consultations and negotiations • Trade agreements with individual countries in which there is an intellectual property component • Discussions and agreements focused on intellectual property issues, including level of enforcement 3 Special 301 Reviews • The U. S. government reviews countries’ intellectual property protections. The Copyright Office is on the interagency Special 301 Committee, which considers and evaluates the adequacy and effectiveness of intellectual property protection and enforcement throughout the world.

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