International Trade and Intellectual Property Law

Article 15

Right to Enforce Protected Rights: 1. Where Author's Name is Indicated or Where Pseudonym Leaves No Doubt as to Author's Identity; 2. In the Case of Cinematographic Works; 3. In the Case of Anonymous and Pseudonymous Works; 4. In the Case of Certain Unpublished Works of Unknown Authorship (1) In order that the author of a literary or artistic work protected by this Convention shall, in the absence of proof to the contrary, be regarded as such, and consequently be entitled to institute infringement proceedings in the countries of the Union, it shall be sufficient for his name to appear on the work in the usual manner. This paragraph shall be applicable even if this name is a pseudonym, where the pseudonym adopted by the author leaves no doubt as to his identity. (2) The person or body corporate whose name appears on a cinematographic work in the usual manner shall, in the absence of proof to the contrary, be presumed to be the maker of the said work. (3) In the case of anonymous and pseudonymous works, other than those referred to in paragraph (1) above, the publisher whose name appears on the work shall, in the absence of proof to the contrary, be deemed to represent the author, and in this capacity he shall be entitled to protect and enforce the author's rights. The provisions of this paragraph shall cease to apply when the author reveals his identity and establishes his claim to authorship of the work. (4) (a) In the case of unpublished works where the identity of the author is unknown, but where there is every ground to presume that he is a national of a country of the Union, it shall be a matter for legislation in that country to designate the competent authority which shall represent the author and shall be entitled to protect and enforce his rights in the countries of the Union. (b) Countries of the Union which make such designation under the terms of this provision shall notify the Director General by means of a written declaration giving full information concerning the authority thus designated. The Director General shall at once communicate this declaration to all other countries of the Union.

Article 16

Infringing Copies: 1. Seizure; 2. Seizure on Importation; 3. Applicable Law (1) Infringing copies of a work shall be liable to seizure in any country of the Union where the work enjoys legal protection. (2) The provisions of the preceding paragraph shall also apply to reproductions coming from a country where the work is not protected, or has ceased to be protected. (3) The seizure shall take place in accordance with the legislation of each country.

Article 17

Possibility of Control of Circulation, Presentation and Exhibition of Works The provisions of this Convention cannot in any way affect the right of the Government of each country of the Union to permit, to control, or to prohibit, by legislation or regulation, the circulation, presentation, or exhibition of any work or production in regard to which the competent authority may find it necessary to exercise that right.

Article 18

Works Existing on Convention's Entry Into Force: 1. Protectable where Protection Not Yet Expired in Country of Origin; 2. Non-protectable where Protection Already Expired in Country where it is Claimed; 3. Application of these Principles; 4. Special Cases (1) This Convention shall apply to all works which, at the moment of its coming into force, have not yet fallen into the public domain in the country of origin through the expiry of the term of protection. (2) If, however, through the expiry of the term of protection which was previously granted, a work has fallen into the public domain of the country where protection is claimed, that work shall not be protected anew. (3) The application of this principle shall be subject to any provisions contained in special conventions to that effect existing or to be concluded between countries of the Union. In the absence of such provisions, the respective countries shall determine, each insofar as it is concerned, the conditions of application of this principle. (4) The preceding provisions shall also apply in the case of new accessions to the Union and to cases in which protection is extended by the application of Article 7 or by the abandonment of reservations.

Article 19

Protection Greater than Resulting from Convention The provisions of this Convention shall not preclude the making of a claim to the benefit of any greater protection which may be granted by legislation in a country of the Union.

Article 20

Special Agreements Among Countries of the Union The Governments of the countries of the Union reserve the right to enter into special agreements among themselves, insofar as such agreements grant to authors more extensive rights than those granted by the Convention, or contain other provisions not contrary to this Convention. The provisions of existing agreements which satisfy these conditions shall remain applicable.

Article 21

Special Provisions Regarding Developing Countries: 1. Reference to Appendix; 2. Appendix Part of Act (1) Special provisions regarding developing countries are included in the Appendix. (2) Subject to the provisions of Article 28(1)(b), the Appendix forms an integral part of this Act.

Article 22

Assembly: Constitution and Composition; 2. Tasks; 3. Quorum, Voting, Observers; 4. Convocation; 5. Rules of Procedure (1) (a) The Union shall have an Assembly consisting of those countries of the Union which are bound by Articles 22 to 26. (b) The Government of each country shall be represented by one delegate, who may be assisted by alternate delegates, advisors, and experts. (c) The expenses of each delegation shall be borne by the Government which has appointed it. (2) (a) The Assembly shall: (i) deal with all matters concerning the maintenance and development of the Union and the implementation of this Convention; (ii) give directions concerning the preparation for conferences of revision to the International Bureau of Intellectual Property (hereinafter designated as "the International Bureau") referred to in the Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization (hereinafter designated as 'the Organization'), due account being taken of any comments made by those countries of the Union which are not bound by Articles 22 to 26; (iii) review and approve the reports and activities of the Director General of the Organization concerning the Union, and give him all necessary instructions concerning matters within the competence of the Union; (iv) elect the members of the Executive Committee of the Assembly; (v) review and approve the reports and activities of its Executive Committee, and give instructions to such Committee; (vi) determine the program and adopt the biennial budget of the Union, and approve its final accounts; (vii) adopt the financial regulations of the Union; (viii) establish such committees of experts and working groups as may be necessary for the work of the Union; (ix) determine which countries not members of the Union and which intergovernmental and international non-governmental organizations shall be admitted to its meetings as observers; (x) adopt amendments to Articles 22 to 26; (xi) take any other appropriate action designed to further the objectives of the Union; (xii) exercise such other functions as are appropriate under this Convention; (xiii) subject to its acceptance, exercise such rights as are given to it in the Convention establishing the Organization. (b) With respect to matters which are of interest also to other Unions administered by the Organization, the Assembly shall make its decisions after having heard the advice of the Coordination Committee of the Organization. (3) (a) Each country member of the Assembly shall have one vote. (b) One-half of the countries members of the Assembly shall constitute a quorum. (c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraph (b), if, in any session, the number of countries represented is less than one-half but equal to or more than one-third of the countries members of the Assembly, the Assembly may make decisions but, with the exception of decisions concerning its own procedure, all such decisions shall take effect only if the following conditions are fulfilled. The International Bureau shall communicate the said decisions to the countries members of the Assembly which were not represented and shall invite them to express in writing their vote or abstention within a period of three months from the date of the communication. If, at the expiration of this period, the number of countries having thus expressed their vote or abstention attains the number of countries which was lacking for attaining the quorum in the session itself, such decisions shall take effect provided that at the same time the required majority still obtains. (d) Subject to the provisions of Article 26(2), the decisions of the Assembly shall require two-thirds of the votes cast. (e) Abstentions shall not be considered as votes. (f) A delegate may represent, and vote in the name of, one country only. (g) Countries of the Union not members of the Assembly shall be admitted to its meetings as observers. (4) (a) The Assembly shall meet once in every second calendar year in ordinary session upon convocation by the Director General and, in the absence of exceptional circumstances, during the same period and at the same place as the General Assembly of the Organization. (b) The Assembly shall meet in extraordinary session upon convocation by the Director General, at the request of the Executive Committee or at the request of one-fourth of the countries members of the Assembly. (5) The Assembly shall adopt its own rules of procedure.

Article 23

Executive Committee: 1. Constitution; 2. Composition; 3. Number of Members;4. Geographical Distribution; Special Agreements; 5. Term, Limits of Re-eligibility, Rules of Election; 6. Tasks; 7. Convocation; 8. Quorum, Voting; 9. Observers; 10. Rules of Procedure 1) The Assembly shall have an Executive Committee. (2) (a) The Executive Committee shall consist of countries elected by the Assembly from among countries members of the Assembly. Furthermore, the country on whose territory the Organization has its headquarters shall, subject to the provisions of Article 25(7)(b), have an ex officio seat on the Committee. (b) The Government of each country member of the Executive Committee shall be represented by one delegate, who may be assisted by alternate delegates, advisors, and experts. (c) The expenses of each delegation shall be borne by the Government which has appointed it. (3) The number of countries members of the Executive Committee shall correspond to one-fourth of the number of countries members of the Assembly. In establishing the number of seats to be filled, remainders after division by four shall be disregarded. (4) In electing the members of the Executive Committee, the Assembly shall have due regard to an equitable geographical distribution and to the need for countries party to the Special Agreements which might be established in relation with the Union to be among the countries constituting the Executive Committee. (5) (a) Each member of the Executive Committee shall serve from the close of the session of the Assembly which elected it to the close of the next ordinary session of the Assembly. (b) Members of the Executive Committee may be reelected, but not more than two-thirds of them. (c) The Assembly shall establish the details of the rules governing the election and possible re-election of the members of the Executive Committee. (6) (a) The Executive Committee shall: (i) prepare the draft agenda of the Assembly; (ii) submit proposals to the Assembly respecting the draft program and biennial budget of the Union prepared by the Director General; (iii) [deleted] (iv) submit, with appropriate comments, to the Assembly the periodical reports of the Director General and the yearly audit reports on the accounts; (v) in accordance with the decisions of the Assembly and having regard to circumstances arising between two ordinary sessions of the Assembly, take all necessary measures to ensure the execution of the program of the Union by the Director General; (vi) Perform such other functions as are allocated to it under this Convention. (b) With respect to matters which are of interest also to other Unions administered by the Organization, the Executive Committee shall make its decisions after having heard the advice of the Coordination Committee of the Organization. (7) (a) The Executive Committee shall meet once a year in ordinary session upon convocation by the Director General, preferably during the same period and at the same place as the Coordination Committee of the Organization. (b) The Executive Committee shall meet in extraordinary session upon convocation by the Director General, either on his own initiative, or at the request of its Chairman or one-fourth of its members. (8) (a) Each country member of the Executive Committee shall have one vote. (b) One-half of the members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum. (c) Decisions shall be made by a simple majority of the votes cast. (d) Abstentions shall not be considered as votes. (e) A delegate may represent, and vote in the name of, one country only. (9) Countries of the Union not members of the Executive Committee shall be admitted to its meetings as observers. (10) The Executive Committee shall adopt its own rules of procedure.

Article 24

International Bureau: 1. Tasks in General, Director General; 2. General Information; 3. Periodical; 4. Information to Countries; 5. Studies and Services; 6. Participation in Meetings; 7. Conference of Revision; 8. Other Tasks (1) (a) The administrative tasks with respect to the Union shall be performed by the International Bureau, which is a continuation of the Bureau of the Union united with the Bureau of the Union established by the International Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property. (b) In particular, the international Bureau shall provide the secretariat of the various organs of the Union. (c) The Director General of the Organization shall be the chief executive of the Union and shall represent the Union. (2) The International Bureau shall assemble and publish information concerning the protection of copyright. Each country of the Union shall promptly communicate to the International Bureau all new laws and official texts concerning the protection of copyright. (3) The International Bureau shall publish a monthly periodical. (4) The International Bureau shall, on request, furnish information to any country of the Union on matters concerning the protection of copyright. (5) The International Bureau shall conduct studies and shall provide services, designed to facilitate the protection of copyright. (6) The Director General and any staff member designated by him shall participate, without the right to vote, in all meetings of the Assembly, the Executive Committee and any other committee of experts or working group. The Director General or a staff member designated by him, shall be ex officio secretary of these bodies. (7) (a) The International Bureau shall, in accordance with the directions of the Assembly and in cooperation with the Executive Committee, make the preparations for the conferences of revision of the provisions of the Convention other than Articles 22 to 26. (b) The International Bureau may consult with intergovernmental and international non-governmental organizations concerning preparations for conferences of revision. (c) The Director General and persons designated by him shall take part, without the right to vote, in the discussions at these conferences. (8) The International Bureau shall carry out any other tasks assigned to it.

Article 25

Finances: 1. Budget; 2. Coordination with Other Unions; 3. Resources; 4. Contributions; Possible Extension of Previous Budget; 5. Fees and Charges; 6. Working Capital Fund; 7. Advances by Host Government; 8. Auditing of Accounts (1) (a) The Union shall have a budget. (b) The budget of the Union shall include the income and expenses proper to the Union, its contribution to the budget of expenses common to the Union and, where applicable, the sum made available to the budget of the Conference of the Organization. (c) Expenses not attributable exclusively to the Union but also to one or more other Unions administered by the Organization shall be considered as expenses common to the Unions. The share of the Union in such common expenses shall be in proportion to the interest the Union has in them. (2) The budget of the Union shall be established with due regard to the requirements of coordination with the budgets of the other Unions administered by the Organization. (3) The budget of the Union shall be financed from the following sources (i) contributions of the countries of the Union; (ii) fees and charges due for services performed by the International Bureau in relation to the Union; (iii) sale of, or royalties on, the publications of the International Bureau concerning the Union; (iv) gifts, bequests, and subventions; (v) rents, interests, and other miscellaneous income. (4) (a) For the purpose of establishing its contribution towards the budget, each country of the Union shall belong to a class, and shall pay its annual contributions on the basis of a number of units fixed as follows: Class I 25 Class II 20 Class III 15 Class IV 10 Class V 5 Class VI 3 Class VII 1 (b) Unless it has already done so, each country shall indicate, concurrently with depositing its instrument of ratification or accession, the class to which it wishes to belong. Any country may change class. If it chooses a lower class, the country must announce it to the Assembly at one of its ordinary sessions. Any such change shall take effect at the beginning of the calendar year following the session. (c) The annual contribution of each country shall be an amount in the same proportion to the total sum to be contributed to the annual budget of the Union by all countries as the number of its units to the total of the units of all contributing countries. (d) Contributions shall become due on the first of January of each year. (c) A country which is in arrears in the payment of its contributions shall have no vote in any of the organs of the Union of which it is a member if the amount of its arrears equals or exceeds the amount of the contributions due from it for the preceding two full years. However, any organ of the Union may allow such a country to continue to exercise its vote in that organ if, and as long as, it is satisfied that the delay in payment is due to exceptional and unavoidable circumstances. (f) If the budget is not adopted before the beginning of a new financial period, it shall be at the same level as the budget of the previous year, in accordance with the financial regulations. (5) The amount of the fees and charges due for services rendered by the International Bureau in relation to the Union shall be established, and shall be reported to the Assembly and the Executive Committee, by the Director General. (6) (a) The Union shall have a working capital fund which shall be constituted by a single payment made by each country of the Union. If the fund becomes insufficient, an increase shall be decided by the Assembly. (b) The amount of the initial payment of each country to the said fund or of its participation in the increase thereof shall be a proportion of the contribution of that country for the year in which the fund is established or the increase decided. (c) The proportion and the terms of payment shall be fixed by the Assembly on the proposal of the Director General and after it has heard the advice of the Coordination Committee of the Organization. (7) (a) In the headquarters agreement concluded with the country on the territory of which the Organization has its headquarters, it shall be provided that, whenever the working capital fund is insufficient, such country shall grant advances. The amount of these advances and the conditions on which they are granted shall be the subject of separate agreements, in each case, between such country and the Organization. As long as it remains under the obligation to grant advances, such country shall have an ex officio seat on the Executive Committee. (b) The country referred to in subparagraph (a) and the Organization shall each have the right to denounce the obligation to grant advances, by written notification. Denunciation shall take effect three years after the end of the year in which it has been notified. (8) The auditing of the accounts shall be effected by one or more of the countries of the Union or by external auditors, as provided in the financial regulations. They shall be designated, with their agreement, by the Assembly.

Article 26

Amendments: 1. Provisions Susceptible of Amendment by the Assembly; Proposals; 2. Adoption; 3. Entry into Force (1) Proposals for the amendment of Articles 22, 23, 24, 25, and the present Article, may be initiated by any country member of the Assembly, by the Executive Committee, or by the Director General. Such proposals shall be communicated by the Director General to the member countries of the Assembly at least six months in advance of their consideration by the Assembly. (2) Amendments to the Articles referred to in paragraph (1) shall be adopted by the Assembly. Adoption shall require three-fourths of the votes cast, provided that any amendment of Article 22, and of the present paragraph, shall require four-fifths of the votes cast. (3) Any amendment to the Articles referred to in paragraph (1) shall enter into force one month after written notifications of acceptance, effected in accordance with their respective constitutional processes, have been received by the Director General from three-fourths of the countries members of the Assembly at the time it adopted the amendment. Any amendment to the said Articles thus accepted shall bind all the countries which are members of the Assembly at the time the amendment enters into force, or which become members thereof at a subsequent date, provided that any amendment increasing the financial obligations of countries of the Union shall bind only those countries which have notified their acceptance of such amendment.

Article 27

Revision: 1. Objective; 2. Conferences; 3. Adoption (1) This Convention shall be submitted to revision with a view to the introduction of amendments designed to improve the system of the Union. (2) For this purpose, conferences shall be held successively in one of the countries of the Union among the delegates of the said countries. (3) Subject to the provisions of Article 26 which apply to the amendment of Articles 22 to 26, any revision of this Act, including the Appendix, shall require the unanimity of the votes cast.

Article 28

Acceptance and Entry Into Force of Act for Countries of the Union: 1. Ratification, Accession; Possibility of Excluding Certain Provisions; Withdrawal of Exclusion; 2. Entry into Force of Articles 1 to 21 and Appendix; 3. Entry into Force of Articles 22 to 38 (1) (a) Any country of the Union which has signed this Act may ratify it, and, if it has not signed it, may accede to it. Instruments of ratification or accession shall be deposited with the Director General. (b) Any country of the Union may declare in its instrument of ratification or accession that its ratification or accession shall not apply to Articles 1 to 21 and the Appendix provided that, if such country has previously made a declaration under Article VI(1) of the Appendix, then it may declare in the said instrument only that its ratification or accession shall not apply to Articles 1 to 20. (c) Any country of the Union which, in accordance with subparagraph (b), has excluded provisions therein referred to from the effects of its ratification or accession may at any later time declare that it extends the effects of its ratification or accession to those provisions. Such declaration shall be deposited with the Director General. (2) (a) Articles 1 to 21 and the Appendix shall enter into force three months after both of the following two conditions are fulfilled: (i) at least five countries of the Union have ratified or acceded to this Act without making a declaration under paragraph (1)(b), (ii) France, Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America, have become bound by the Universal Copyright Convention as revised at Paris on July 24, 1971. (b) The entry into force referred to in subparagraph (a) shall apply to those countries of the Union which, at least three months before the said entry into force, have deposited instruments of ratification or accession not containing a declaration under paragraph (1)(b). (c) With respect to any country of the Union not covered by subparagraph (b) and which ratifies or accedes to this Act without making a declaration under paragraph (1)(b), Articles 1 to 21 and the Appendix shall enter into force three months after the date on which the Director General has notified the deposit of the relevant instrument of ratification or accession, unless a subsequent date has been indicated in the instrument deposited. In the latter case, Articles 1 to 21 and the Appendix shall enter into force with respect to that country on the date thus indicated. (d) The provisions of subparagraphs (a) to (c) do not affect the publication of Article VI of the Appendix. (3) With respect to any country of the Union which ratifies or accedes to this Act with or without a declaration made under paragraph (1)(b), Articles 22 to 38 shall enter into force three months after the date on which the Director General has notified the deposit of the relevant instrument of ratification or accession, unless a subsequent date has been indicated in the instrument deposited. In the latter case, Articles 22 to 38 shall enter into force with respect to that country on the date thus indicated.

Article 29

Acceptance and Entry Into Force for Countries Outside the Union: 1. Accession; 2. Entry into Force (1) Any country outside the Union may accede to this Act and thereby become party to this Convention and a member of the Union. Instruments of accession shall be deposited with the Director General. (2) (a) Subject to subparagraph (b), this Convention shall enter into force with respect to any country outside the Union three months after the date on which the Director General has notified the deposit of its instrument of accession, unless a subsequent date has been indicated in the instrument deposited. In the latter case, this Convention shall enter into force with respect to that country on the date thus indicated. (b) If the entry into force according to subparagraph (a) precedes the entry into force of Articles 1 to 21 and the Appendix according to Article 28(2)(a), the said country shall in the meantime, be bound, instead of by Articles 1 to 21 and the Appendix, by Articles 1 to 20 of the Brussels Act of this Convention. Effect of Acceptance of Act for the Purpose of Article 14 (2) of WIPO Convention Ratification of or accession to this Act by any country not bound by Articles 22 to 38 of the Stockholm Act of this Convention shall for the sole purposes of Article 14(2) of the Convention establishing the Organization, amount to ratification of or accession to the said Stockholm Act with the limitation set forth in Article 28(1)(b)(i) thereof.