Are copyright laws international?

Protection against unauthorized use in a particular country depends on the national laws of that country. The criteria for what is considered fair treatment are listed in the law of each of these countries, not to mention all the specific possible uses. In some countries, such permission is granted by law (a “legal license”) in exchange for a designated payment. WIPO Lex is a global database that provides free access to intellectual property (IP) legal information, including intellectual property laws and regulations, WIPO-administered and IP-related treaties, and major intellectual property court decisions.

While they can be guaranteed the protection of their works in foreign jurisdictions, the path to execution is usually with a lawsuit in the courts of a distant country (where proceedings will be conducted in the language of that country) under the law of that country.