Itar-Tass Russian News Agency v. Russian Kurier: Federal District Court Applies the Berne Convention, United States and Russian Copyright Laws To Prevent Piracy in Mass Media

Abstract

The United States is well known for its vigorous protection of intellectual property rights owned by American nationals as well as foreigners. Similarly, the United States expects other nations to observe intellectual property rights of American nationals. Not surprisingly, the United States makes determined effort to urge other countries, especially the countries with emerging economies, to join the international treaties in the area of intellectual property. Virtually as a result of the United States' active policy regarding expansion of intellectual property rights protection in the international context, the two principal international documents in this area, the Berne Convention and the Universal Copyright Convention, now have all major trade nations as their signatories. Russia, after modernizing its intellectual property laws in the early 1990s, acceded to the Berne Convention in 1995.