While in some countries the provisions of treaties can be directly applied as law, in general copyright and related rights are provided in national legislation of individual countries.

International treaties link various national laws by ensuring that at least a minimum level of rights will be granted to creators under each national law. The treaties do not themselves grant rights, but rather require the countries that join the treaties to grant certain rights specified on a nondiscriminatory basis.

You can contact the right owner.

For certain types of works and other subject matter, you can get permission from a collective management organization. Collective management organizations license use of works and other subject matter that are protected by copyright and related rights whenever it is impractical for right owners to act individually.

There are several international non-governmental organizations that link together national collective management organizations.

Two treaties were concluded in 1996 at WIPO (the World Intellectual Property Organization) in Geneva. One, the WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT), deals with protection for authors of literary and artistic works, such as writings and computer programs; original databases; musical works; audiovisual works; works of fine art and photographs. The other, the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT), protects certain "related rights" (that is, rights related to copyright): in the WPPT, these are rights of performers and producers of phonograms.

Copyright and its related rights are essential to human creativity, by giving creators incentives in the form of recognition and fair economic rewards. Under this system of rights, creators are assured that their works can be disseminated without fear of unauthorized copying or piracy. This in turn helps increase access to and enhances the enjoyment of culture, knowledge, and entertainment all over the world.

A field of rights related to copyright has rapidly developed over the last 50 years. These related rights grew up around copyrighted works, and provide similar, although often more limited and of shorter duration, rights to:

• performing artists (such as actors and musicians) in their performances;
• broadcasting organizations in their radio and television programs;
• producers of sound recordings (for example, cassette recordings and compact discs) in their recordings;

Copyright and related rights are legal concepts and instruments which, while respecting and protecting the rights of creators in their works, also contribute to the cultural and economic development of nations. Copyright law fulfills a decisive role in articulating the contributions and rights of the different stakeholders taking part in the cultural industries and the relation between them and the public.

What is copyright?

Copyright is a legal term describing rights given to creators for their literary and artistic works.