Universal Copyright Convention

The Universal Copyright Convention is a multilateral copyright treaty drawn up in 1952 under the auspices of UNESCO, which acts as its depositary. It was devised as a bridge between states that protect works automatically on creation, as under the Berne Convention, and states that require formalities such as registration. Its central device lets a state treat formalities as satisfied for a foreign work when every copy bears the copyright symbol, the owner's name and the year of first publication. Contracting states agree to give foreign authors the same protection as their own nationals, to protect works for a minimum term, and to recognise authors' rights of reproduction, public performance, broadcasting and translation. The text was revised at Paris, where the revision was adopted on 24 July 1971 and entered into force on 10 July 1974, with protocols on stateless persons and refugees and on works of certain international organisations. The Convention leaves the Berne Convention itself unaffected.