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Published on: Jun 24, 2026

International Copyright Registration

Copyright of nationals or entities of countries who are members of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, Universal Copyright Convention and the TRIPS Agreement are protected in India through the International Copyright Order. Hence, copyright of works of the countries mentioned in the International Copyright Order are protected in India, as if such works are Indian works. Also, India has become a member of many international conventions on copyright to provide copyright protection for Indian works in foreign countries.

Protection for Indian Copyright in Foreign Countries

Indian Copyright Laws only provide copyright protection within the borders of India. Hence, to secure protection to Indian works in foreign countries, India has become a member of the following international conventions on copyright:

  • Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic works.
  • Universal Copyright Convention.
  • Convention for the Protection of Producers of Phonograms against Unauthorized Duplication of their Phonograms.
  • Multilateral Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation of Copyright Royalties.
  • Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement.

Protection of Foreign Copyright in India

Copyright of businesses and nationals of countries who are members of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, Universal Copyright Convention and the TRIPS Agreement are protected in India through the International Copyright Order.

Berne Convention Countries

Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzogovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica , Cote d’Ivoire, Croatia , Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras ,Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania , Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname ,Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, The Former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe (Total - 116 Countries)

Universal Copyright Convention Countries

Algeria, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Bolivia, Bosnia &Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Guinea, Holy see , Hungary, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, Niger, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Yugoslavia,

Phonograms Convention Countries

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Ecuado, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Holy See , Honduras, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Luxembourg, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela,

Countries Members of the World Trade Organization

Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain,Bangladesh, Barbados,Belgium, Belize,Benin,Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, European Community, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala , Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Kuwait, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe

For copyright registration or copyright attorney consultation, visit IndiaFilings.com

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about International Copyright Registration and Protection in India.

The International Copyright Order protects the copyright of works from countries that are members of the Berne Convention, Universal Copyright Convention, and TRIPS Agreement in India. These foreign works are given the same protection as Indian works, ensuring their copyrights are respected within Indian borders.
India has become a member of several international copyright conventions, including the Berne Convention, Universal Copyright Convention, Convention for the Protection of Producers of Phonograms, Multilateral Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation of Copyright Royalties, and TRIPS Agreement. By being a part of these conventions, Indian works are granted copyright protection in other member countries.
The major international copyright conventions that India is a member of include the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, Universal Copyright Convention, Convention for the Protection of Producers of Phonograms against Unauthorized Duplication of their Phonograms, Multilateral Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation of Copyright Royalties, and the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement.
According to the article, there are 116 countries that are part of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, and their works are protected in India through the International Copyright Order.
Yes, the United States is a member of the Berne Convention, which is one of the conventions covered under the International Copyright Order. Therefore, works from the United States are protected in India as if they were Indian works.
The primary purpose of India becoming a member of international copyright conventions is to ensure that Indian works receive copyright protection in foreign countries, as Indian copyright laws only provide protection within the borders of India.
The Convention for the Protection of Producers of Phonograms against Unauthorized Duplication of their Phonograms is an international convention that India is a part of, which specifically deals with the protection of phonograms (sound recordings) from unauthorized duplication.
The Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement is an international agreement that sets minimum standards for various forms of intellectual property regulations, including copyright. It ensures that copyright works from member countries are protected in other member nations.
No, the International Copyright Order specifically protects works from countries that are members of the Berne Convention, Universal Copyright Convention, and TRIPS Agreement. Works from countries that are not members of these conventions may not be protected under the International Copyright Order in India.
The Multilateral Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation of Copyright Royalties is an international convention that India is a part of. It helps Indian creators by preventing them from being taxed twice on the royalties earned from their copyrighted works in different countries, making it easier for them to monetize their works globally.