Digital Jersey welcomes the news that Jersey has become a member of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. This membership is a result of Jersey updating its copyright laws and enacting the Intellectual Property (Unregistered Rights) Jersey Law 2011 (IPURL). Jersey is now the only Channel Island to have Berne Convention Membership.
The Berne Convention is the most widely recognised copyright convention and was ratified by the UK in 1886. It requires members to recognise the copyright of works of individuals from other member countries the same way it recognises its own national’s works, thereby providing copyright protection without any formalities, such as registration. It also provides Jersey automatic, worldwide copyright protection of artistic works originally created in Jersey.
Paul Masterton, Chairman of Digital Jersey commented:
“This is very positive news and provides another good reason to choose Jersey, for investors considering where to invest and locate creative work. IPURL provides protection for unregistered rights in Jersey, and in effect it says our copyright law is up to date and of the highest standard. It can equally apply to a range of activities such as books, film, or digital mediums such video games and e-commerce.”
