THE EXPORT OF EU COPYRIGHT LAW: THE EXAMPLE OF THE FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS

Abstract

After World War II there seemed to be a general consensus to lower tariffs and remove restraints to free trade worldwide. This led to a series of international and regional initiatives. On an international level, it led to the conclusion of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1947 among 23 nations, which encouraged its Member States to reduce or eliminate trade barriers such as tariffs and quotas. In 1995 the World Trade Organization (WTO) succeeded GATT. Part of the Marrakesh Agreement that established the WTO is also Annex 1C, i.e., the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement). On a regional level, the European Coal and Steel Community would be created in 1951; soon, the European Economic Community would follow (1957), which would ultimately lead into today’s European Union (EU) (1993). Nowadays, the EU is for its 27 Member States in accordance with its statutory provisions an area of free movement of goods, capitals, services and labour. In this area of 27 Member States, an Internal Single Market is established, the European Single Market. The EU and its Member States are continuously interested in concluding trade agreements with States outside the current borders of the EU, in order to achieve the best possible terms regarding trade of goods and services outside the European Single Market. Such agreements strengthen the EU and its Member States’ position internationally and facilitate the exports and imports from and to EU Member States.