In 1886, an international treaty was signed by ten countries with the intention to coordinate and equalize copyright laws at an international level. Formally known as the International Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, the Berne Convention has since served as the basis for protection for copyrighted works around the world – 181 countries are now party to the convention (as of July 2025).
The Berne Convention focuses on three principles related to copyright law, allowing rights holders to properly manage, enforce, and exploit their works. First, Berne states that works created within one of the contracting states must be afforded the same protections in each of the other contracting states as though the author was a national of the second state. Second, protection of copyrighted works must not be conditional upon compliance with any formality. Third, protection in one contracting state is independent of the protection afforded by the originating contracting state. These fundamentals are imperative to international use of copyrighted works, especially in the digital era.
Since Berne’s inception in 1886, several modifications have been made to the Convention to add protection for new types of works (e.g. motion pictures), extension of the term of protection, and explanation of the limits of exceptions allowed by contracting states. Berne is still one of the paramount treaties protecting copyright worldwide. The catalyst for drafting an international convention on copyright came from uncoordinated application of international norms – as the economy became more globalized than ever before, creators needed guaranteed protection for their works at home and abroad. As Berne evolved, more countries acceded to the treaty, and technology has continued to grow. Still, these countries have turned back to Berne again and again, amending it to support the world in each phase of growth in order to protect copyright.
In 1984, the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) was established to represent trade associations within the copyright-based industries in order to improve international protection and enforcement and open foreign markets. In 1988, the U.S. acceded to the Berne convention. For over thirty years, IIPA has been pushing for the evolution of copyright protection internationally, and since 1988 has been using Berne as a tool for success.
When we created our mascot just over a year ago, we didn’t give him a name – he was just a symbol of our commitment to spreading awareness, education, and passion for copyright. Just as Berne has evolved since 1886, our mascot has evolved into a face we look forward to seeing and we on the IIPA creative believe that he needs a name. We feel that giving our little blue robot the name Bernie will imbue him with even more purpose and power to inspire. Happy first birthday, Bernie!
