International Copyright Law

Abstract

This article examines the extent to which the international treaties have created an international copyright law and whether they are universally applicable and enforceable. For this purpose, it first looks at the two different approaches to copyright law (utilitarian approach and authors’ rights approach), then it examines the development of the international copyright law by focusing on the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, WIPO Copyright Treaty and WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty. Furthermore, the article presents the main differences in domestic copyright laws in the aspects of subject matter and the scope of rights and exceptions, and concludes that a uniform international copyright law binding all nation states does not exist.