This page is about global conventions which work worldwide - amongst countries that have signed up to them.
  • The Berne Convention
  • The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)
  • Trademarks and Patents

The banner image is a photo of the WIPO HQ building in Geneva.
The sub-menu for this page has information about copyright in various English-speaking specific countries:
This page is generic to every occupation which involves copyright and intellectual property and is NOT just specific to artists.  However it's important to know some of the context for the law that artists rely on to protect their artwork.

The History of Copyright Law

  • Primary Sources on Copyright (1450-1900) - This is a digital archive of primary sources on copyright from the invention of the printing press (c. 1450) to the Berne Convention (1886) and beyond. Source: Bently & Kretschmer (www.copyrighthistory.org).

Global Conventions on copyright and intellectual property
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The Berne Convention
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Signatories to the Berne Convention 2016
What is the Berne Convention?

The Berne Convention protects literary and artistic works - so long as these have been fixed in a material form.

It does this by creating a Union of Countries who will all apply the same rules to copyright.
The countries to which this Convention applies constitute a Union for the protection of the rights of authors in their literary and artistic works.
WIPO - Berne Convention
It requires countries which sign to:
  • recognise copyright as starting at the moment a original work is created rather than via registration
  • treat everybody the same i.e. the copyright of citizens of countries that are members of the Union is treated in the same way in every country
What are Literary and Artistic works?
It provides a set of rights that protect literary and artiistic works
The expression “literary and artistic works” shall include every production in the literary, scientific and artistic domain, whatever may be the mode or form of its expression, such as:
* books, pamphlets and other writings; 
* lectures, addresses, sermons and other works of the same nature; 
* dramatic or dramatico-musical works; 
* choreographic works and entertainments in dumb show; 
* musical compositions with or without words; 
* cinematographic works to which are assimilated works expressed by a process analogous to cinematography; 
* works of drawing, painting, architecture, sculpture, engraving and lithography; photographic works to which are assimilated works expressed by a process analogous to photography; 
* works of applied art; illustrations, maps, plans, sketches and three-dimensional works relative to geography, topography, architecture or science.
Definition of 'literary and artistic works' in the Berne Convention: Article 2(1)
REFERENCE

Below are links to websites which provide more information about how the Berne Convention protects literary and artistic works.

The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)
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Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce.
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The Headquarters of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in Geneva, Switzerland
The primary purpose  of the The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is to be the global forum for intellectual property services, policy, information and cooperation. 

It is one of the 17 specialised agencies set up by the United Nations in 1967. Its mandate is to 
  • "to encourage creative activity, to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world."
  • ​to promote an understanding about the value of Intellectual Property and how to protect it everywhere in the world. 
The mandate, governing bodies and procedures are set out in the WIPO Convention

​It is a self-funding agency of the United Nations, with 188 member states. 
to lead the development of a balanced and effective international intellectual property (IP) system that enables innovation and creativity for the benefit of all. 
REFERENCE

Trademarks and Patents
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Patents, trade marks and design rights are valuable intellectual property (IP) rights and a vital foundation of economic growth.
Trademarks and Patents are a very specialised area of Intellectual Property law. In general they're not relevant to Fine Artists but can be very relevant to designers and those who are using art on commercial products.

Trademarks are in effect like a quality standard. They were developed to protect consumers from being sold cheap copies and to prevent other companies from copying successful brands. A Trademark also offers protection in relation to the context in which it can be used.

Trademarks are an especially important part of brand management and consequently infringements tend to have a monetary value.  Trademarks can apply to any number of ways in which a brand is visually presented eg a logo, use of a name, use of an image, use of lettering specific to a brand when combined with other trademarked aspects.

Artists are also well advised to be very wary of incorporating corporate products which are trademarked into artwork without seeking legal advice or permission to do so.  Artists have been taken to court over infringements of trademarks.

Trademarks known to be especially litigious are: Microsoft, Disney, Coca Cola, Chanel, Nike, Harley Davidson.
GENERIC REFERENCE
  • PATENTSCOPE®
    WIPO's Gateway to Patent Services and Activities- Access to the World of Technology PATENTSCOPE Search Service- Notable PCT Inventions- PCT Trends & Performance Indicators
  • Trademarks Gateway
    Trademarks GatewayTrademarks are distinctive signs, used to differentiate between identical or similar goods and services offered by different producers or services providers.
  • Industrial Designs Gateway
    Industrial Designs GatewayIndustrial designs, also referred to simply as designs,concern the ornamental or aesthetic aspects of products. Industrial Designs are a type of industrial property, protected by intellectual property rights
Note: I'm not a lawyer and you should not rely on any assertions I make as legal advice. I'm just an ordinary artist and writer who is trying to make sense of copyright in relation to visual art - and what artists can do if their copyright is infringed and/or others act in such a way as to create orphan works from their copyright protected artwork. These pages organises links to what seem to me to be relevant websites. If you need the help of a lawyer you should engage a professional.
NEXT: Copyright in - The UK, the USA, Canada, Australasia