International copyright
From Pirate Party UK Wiki
|
Do not discuss or propose policy on this page. |
The United Kingdom is a member of several international agreements that make specifications on copyright that are contrary to the aims or policies of Pirate Party UK.
Contents |
Summary
Berne Convention
The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works is an international agreement governing copyright which was first accepted in Berne, Switzerland in 1886. As of September 2008, there are 164 countries (including the United Kingdom) party to this convention. The Berne Convention standardised copyright laws; for example, copyright must be automatic, requirement of registration or other formality for copyright is prohibited and it specifies that all works other then photographic and cinematographic shall be covered by a copyright duration of at least 50 years after the author's death.
It is suggested that the UK unreservedly withdraw from the Berne Convention or renegotiate the terms of the convention. However, unless the Pirate Parties of many other signatory countries succeed, then renegotiation is not a realistic option, therefore it is likely that the UK will be forced to "go it alone". In the future, it may be possible to form an EU bloc that could operate outside the Berne Convention while operating a compromise with those remaining part of it.
If the convention amounts to a cartel or mirrors oligopolistic collusion, then it is possible that one signatory leaving the convention could cause at least short term benefits for the leaver and the eventual breakdown of the convention.
Forum topics
- Berne Convention (last post on October 9th, 2009)
- Cross-border/Cross-continental Copyright (last post on July 15th, 2009)
Votes
Manifesto Ratification 2010
A vote on this policy is due to take place as part of the ratification of the proposed manifesto. No date has yet been set.
| Policy Discussion Workspace | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|