There is no overarching international law, and copyright is governed by the laws of the land where the material is used. Still, some complications may arise from some discrepancies across borders. For this purpose, in 1886, some countries signed the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. Member states must rectify their national laws by the principle set in by the Convention and agree to the following:

  • Give foreign works the same protection as the works originating in their own country.
  • Give automatic protection without requiring any formalities such as a deposit to national libraries or notifications
  • Protection is independent of the existence of protection in the country of origin of the work
  • Some minimum standards of protection relate to the works and rights to be protected and to the duration of protection (at least up to the 50th year after the author’s death)

The Berne Convention includes some exceptions on quotation and teaching. Article 10 allows the following specific free uses of works:

  1. Quotations: it is permissible to make quotations from a work which has already been lawfully made available to the public, provided that their making is compatible with fair practice and their extent does not exceed that justified by the purpose, including quotations from newspaper articles and periodicals in the form of press summaries.
  2. Illustration for teaching: it mandates member countries to legislate defining their terms, provided such utilization is compatible with fair practice.

In September 2021, there were 177 member states (out of the 193 countries recognised by the UN).

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The author takes no responsibility for the content of this page, which is not intended as binding legal advice. The views are about copyright in the UK Higher Education sector context.