Copyright Law of the United States of America
and Related Laws Contained in Title 17 of the United States Code
Circular 92
Appendix L
Definition of “Berne Convention Work”
The WIPO Copyright and Performances and Phonograms Treaties Implementation Act of 1998 deleted the definition of “Berne Convention work” from section 101.1 Pub. L. No. 105-304, 112 Stat. 2861. The definition of Berne Convention work, as deleted, is as follows:
A work is a “Berne Convention work” if —
(1) in the case of an unpublished work, one or more of the authors is a national of a nation adhering to the Berne Convention, or in the case of a published work, one or more of the authors is a national of a nation adhering to the Berne Convention on the date of first publication;
(2) the work was first published in a nation adhering to the Berne Convention, or was simultaneously first published in a nation adhering to the Berne convention and in a foreign nation that does not adhere to the Berne Convention;
(3) in the case of an audiovisual work —
(A) if one or more of the authors is a legal entity, that author has its headquarters in a nation adhering to the Berne Convention; or
(B) if one or more of the authors is an individual, that author is domiciled, or has his or her habitual residence in, a nation adhering to the Berne Convention; or
(4) in the case of a pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work that is incorporated in a building or other structure, the building or structure is located in a nation adhering to the Berne Convention; or
(5) in the case of an architectural work embodied in a building, such building is erected in a country adhering to the Berne Convention.
For purposes of paragraph (1), an author who is domiciled in or has his or her habitual residence in, a nation adhering to the Berne Convention is considered to be a national of that nation. For purposes of paragraph (2), a work is considered to have been simultaneously published in two or more nations if its dates of publication are within 30 days of one another.
1For the legislative history of the definition of “Berne Convention work,” see endnote 2, chapter 1, supra.
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