USA/Berne Convention

Please bear with me being an amateur in IP/Copyright and if possible please enlighten me on the following matter:

I understand US became a full member of the Berne Convention in 1989.

Article 18 -- (4) makes is an obligation to new accessions to the Convention to recognise works which at the time of entering the Convention had not yet fallen into public domain in the country of origin through the expiry of the term of protection.

I also understand that the US only after the URAA 1994 restored copyright in works of foreign artists as from 1. Jan. 1996 -- and therefore my question is: did US make any reservation to the effect of Article 18 or did US rely on any existing conventions reliving US from recognising works still protected in other parts of the Union?

No doubt this has been the object for discussions before and I would be very happy to learn more about the arguments.

Calle Ostergaard
<info[_at_]troll-company.dk> Received on Fri Jan 28 2000 - 17:20:32 GMT