Copyright law between countries

The U.S.
Copyright Office is not permitted to recommend attorneys or agents to give legal advice on foreign or domestic laws.
This publication documents the countries that are parties to specific multilateral copyright conventions or agreements, as well as those that have specific bilateral relationships with the United States.

European countries follow the principle that copyright protection is granted automatically upon creation of the work.
This principle was first established in the Berne Convention (1886), and Article 5 of the Convention expressly forbids any member country to require formal action for copyright protection.

There is no such thing as an “international copyright” that will automatically protect an author’s writings throughout the world.
Protection against unauthorized use in a particular country depends on the national laws of that country.

International copyright conventions and treaties have been developed to establish obligations for treaty member countries to adhere to, and implement in their national laws, thus providing more certainty and understanding about the levels of copyright protection in particular countries.