Hungarian Yearbook of International Law and European Law

Miscellaneous

One Hundred Years of International Copyright

Keywords Berne Convention, revision, copyright, formalities, legal certainty
Authors Anett Pogácsás
DOI
Author's information

Anett Pogácsás
Anett Pogácsás: associate professor of law, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest; member of the Hungarian Council of Copyright Experts.
  • Abstract

      The Berne Convention (BC or Convention) celebrates its one hundred and thirty-sixth birthday this year, but for Hungary, 2022 marks a milestone anniversary, as the country joined the BC exactly a hundred years ago. Considerations taken into account at the time of becoming a party to the Convention, and the circumstances now, a century later, are in many ways different. An important question is whether the Convention still conforms to our sense of justice. For Hungary in the early 1900s, this dilemma was effectively a matter of weighing up the principle of formality-free protection. Originally required as a corrective rule in BC, automatic protection has grown into a fundamental principle since then. It was to be expected from the outset that the principle would not only have its benefits, but also its side effects. One hundred years of international copyright has taught us to insist on what BC has earned for right holders, but to strive for BC-compatible, efficient and modern solutions. How far we can go in doing so will be one of the most important questions of the near future.

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