Berne Convention Legal Meaning and Definition

Here is a simplified definition of the legal term Berne Convention.

Berne Convention (noun)

The Berne Convention is an international treaty that was established in Berne, Switzerland in 1886. It sets out basic principles and guidelines to protect the rights of writers, artists, and other creators in the 77 countries that have agreed to follow it, except Russia. Major points of this treaty include that copyright exists the moment a work is "fixed" (rather than upon registration), and that copyrighted works must be treated the same in all Berne Convention countries.