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Unplanned Obsolesence: U.S. Participation in Redundant Multilateral Copyright Agreements
Benjamin W. Cramer
College of Communications, The Pennsylvania State University.
©2007 Benjamin W. Cramer
Introduction
In the 19th Century, nations that conducted regular intellectual property business with each other began to forge agreements to harmonize their copyright protections. The longest-lasting is the Berne Convention, which the United States did not join initially. The U.S. had initiated the Buenos Aires Convention with several Latin American nations, and the Universal Copyright Convention as an alternative to Berne. The United States has since joined the Berne Convention, and still adheres to the Buenos Aires and Universal Copyright Conventions, even though those agreements have become largely redundant and increasingly obsolete in light of newer copyright agreements forged by the World Trade Organization.
This paper will investigate the history of American participation in multilateral copyright agreements, and the ramifications of its continued observance of agreements that have become redundant or obsolete. Part II will offer a brief history of American involvement in international copyright. Part III will examine the Buenos Aires and Universal Copyright Conventions. Part IV will examine the accumulation of redundant international copyright agreements in the second half of the 20th Century. Finally, Part V will explore the modern American involvement in international copyright protection, and the effects of its adherence to outdated treaties.
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