The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works is signed

Background. Prior to the Berne Convention, copyright legislation remained uncoordinated at an international level. The convention followed the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property of 1883, which created a framework for integrating patents, trademarks, and industrial designs. The Berne Convention introduced the concept that protection exists the moment a work is fixed on a physical medium, granting authors automatic copyright rights.

Signatory States. The first version of the treaty was signed on 9 September 1886 by Belgium, France, Germany, Haiti, Italy, Liberia, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, and the United Kingdom. These countries created a Union for the protection of authors' rights in literary and artistic works, known as the Berne Union. The convention required parties to recognize protection for works of authors from other parties at least as well as their own nationals.

Legal Principles. The convention defined protection to include every production in the literary, scientific, and artistic domain, regardless of expression mode. It established that protection exists upon the fixing of a work, granting authors automatic rights unless disclaimed or expired. The treaty intended regular revisions to address social and technological developments, though it prohibited inconsistent treaties.