Pub. L. 105-304, tit. I, sec. 102

TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.

EnactedYear: 1998Length: 1,032 wordsOfficial source
SEC. 102. TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS. (a) Definitions.—Section 101 of title 17, United States Code, is amended— (1) by striking the definition of “Berne Convention work”; (2) in the definition of “The ‘country of origin’ of a Berne Convention work”— (A) by striking “The ‘country of origin’ of a Berne Convention work, for purposes of section 411, is the United States if” and inserting “For purposes of section 411, a work is a ‘United States work’ only if”; (B) in paragraph (1)— (i) in subparagraph (B) by striking “nation or nations adhering to the Berne Convention” and inserting “treaty party or parties”; (ii) in subparagraph (C) by striking “does not adhere to the Berne Convention” and inserting “is not a treaty party”; and (iii) in subparagraph (D) by striking “does not adhere to the Berne Convention” and inserting “is not a treaty party”; and (C) in the matter following paragraph (3) by striking “For the purposes of section 411, the ‘country of origin’ of any other Berne Convention work is not the United States.”; (3) by inserting after the definition of “fixed” the following: “The ‘Geneva Phonograms Convention” is the Convention for the Protection of Producers of Phonograms Against Unauthorized Duplication of Their Phonograms, concluded at Geneva, Switzerland, on October 29, 1971.”; (4) by inserting after the definition of “including” the following: “An ‘international agreement’ is— “(1) the Universal Copyright Convention; “(2) the Geneva Phonograms Convention; “(3) the Berne Convention; “(4) the WTO Agreement; “(5) the WIPO Copyright Treaty; “(6) the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty; and “(7) any other copyright treaty to which the United States is a party.”; (5) by inserting after the definition of “transmit” the following: “A ‘treaty party’ is a country or intergovernmental organization other than the United States that is a party to an international agreement.”; (6) by inserting after the definition of “widow” the following: 112 STAT. 2862 “The ‘WIPO Copyright Treaty’ is the WIPO Copyright Treaty concluded at Geneva, Switzerland, on December 20, 1996.”; (7) by inserting after the definition of “The ‘WIPO Copyright Treaty’” the following: “The ‘WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty’ is the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty concluded at Geneva, Switzerland, on December 20, 1996.”; and (8) by inserting after the definition of “work made for hire” the following: “The terms ‘WTO Agreement’ and ‘WTO member country’ have the meanings given those terms in paragraphs (9) and (10), respectively, of section 2 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act.”. (b) Subject Matter of Copyright; National Origin.—Section 104 of title 17, United States Code, is amended— (1) in subsection (b)— (A) in paragraph (1) by striking “foreign nation that is a party to a copyright treaty to which the United States is also a party” and inserting “treaty party”; (B) in paragraph (2) by striking “party to the Universal Copyright Convention” and inserting “treaty party”; (C) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (6); (D) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (5) and inserting it after paragraph (4); (E) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following: “(3) the work is a sound recording that was first fixed in a treaty party; or”; (F) in paragraph (4) by striking “Berne Convention work” and inserting “pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work that is incorporated in a building or other structure, or an architectural work that is embodied in a building and the building or structure is located in the United States or a treaty party”; and (G) by inserting after paragraph (6), as so redesignated, the following: “For purposes of paragraph (2), a work that is published in the United States or a treaty party within 30 days after publication in a foreign nation that is not a treaty party shall be considered to be first published in the United States or such treaty party, as the case may be.”; and (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection: “(d) Effect of Phonograms Treaties.—Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b), no works other than sound recordings shall be eligible for protection under this title solely by virtue of the adherence of the United States to the Geneva Phonograms Convention or the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty.”. (c) Copyright in Restored Works.—Section 104A(h) of title 17, United States Code, is amended— (1) in paragraph (1), by striking subparagraphs (A) and (B) and inserting the following: “(A) a nation adhering to the Berne Convention; “(B) a WTO member country; “(C) a nation adhering to the WIPO Copyright Treaty; “(D) a nation adhering to the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty; or 112 STAT. 2863 “(E) subject to a Presidential proclamation under subsection (g).”; (2) by amending paragraph (3) to read as follows: “(3) The term ‘eligible country’ means a nation, other than the United States, that— “(A) becomes a WTO member country after the date of the enactment of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act; “(B) on such date of enactment is, or after such date of enactment becomes, a nation adhering to the Berne Convention; “(C) adheres to the WIPO Copyright Treaty; “(D) adheres to the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty; or “(E) after such date of enactment becomes subject to a proclamation under subsection (g).”; (3) in paragraph (6)— (A) in subparagraph (C)(iii) by striking “and” after the semicolon; (B) at the end of subparagraph (D) by striking the period and inserting “; and”; and (C) by adding after subparagraph (D) the following: “(E) if the source country for the work is an eligible country solely by virtue of its adherence to the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty, is a sound recording.”; (4) in paragraph (8)(B)(i)— (A) by inserting “of which” before “the majority”; and (B) by striking “of eligible countries”; and (5) by striking paragraph (9). (d) Registration and Infringement Actions.—Section 411(a) of title 17, United States Code, is amended in the first sentence— (1) by striking “actions for infringement of copyright in Berne Convention works whose country of origin is not the United States and”; and (2) by inserting “United States” after “no action for infringement of the copyright in any”. (e) Statute of Limitations.—Section 507(a) of title 17, United State Code, is amended by striking “No” and inserting “Except as expressly provided otherwise in this title, no”.
Pub. L. 105-304, tit. I, sec. 102: TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS. | Justis AI