The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (Berne Convention- an international agreement governing copyright), was first accepted in Berne, Switzerland in 1886. It required its signatories to recognize the copyright of works of authors from other signatory countries (known as members of the Berne Union) in the same way as it recognises the copyright of its own nationals. It was Indeed a landmark event in the history of copyright. The organisation subsequently relocated to Geneva in 1960, and was succeeded in 1967
Received 09 December 2011, online published 18 May 2012
233
with the establishment of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) by treaty as an agency of the United Nations1. WIPO’s Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights met in Geneva to consider the copyright exceptions and limitations on March 10-12, 2008, and began discussions about exceptions to, and limitations on, rights granted to copyright holders by international instruments, a topic which is of vital importance to developing countries. WIPO member countries universally supported keeping the topic of ‘exceptions and limitations’ on the Committee’s agenda.