Buenos Aires Convention - Definition and Overview

The Buenos Aires Convention was a treaty proposed in 1910 which provided for copyright protection in all countries that were signatory to the convention, for a work created in any member country, where the work carries a notice containing a statement of reservation of rights. This is commonly done by the use of the phrase All rights reserved (or "Todos los derechos reservados") next to the copyright notice.

The treaty was essentially obsolete on August 23, 2000, as every country that was a signatory to the Buenos Aires Convention was then also a member of the Berne Convention, which requires copyright protection to be granted in all signatory countries without requirement of any notice.

According to a publication (http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ38a.pdf) of the U.S. Copyright Office (http://www.copyright.gov), as of January, 2003 the following countries are signatories to the Buenos Aires Convention. Included also is the (date of accession), and the date of accession of that country to the Berne Convention:

• Argentina (April 19, 1950), Berne: June 10, 1967
• Bolivia (May 15, 1914), Berne: November 4, 1993
• Brazil (August 31, 1915), Berne: February 9, 1922
• Chile (June 14, 1955), Berne: June 5, 1970
• Colombia (December 23, 1936), Berne: March 7, 1988
• Costa Rica (November 30, 1916), Berne: June 10, 1978
• Dominican Republic (October 31, 1912), Berne: December 24, 1997
• Ecuador (August 31, 1914), Berne: October 9, 1991
• Guatemala (March 28, 1913), Berne: July 28, 1997
• Haiti (November 27, 1919), Berne: January 11, 1996
• Honduras (April 27, 1914), Berne: January 25,1990
• Mexico (April 24, 1964), Berne: June 11, 1967
• Nicaragua (December 15, 1913), Berne: August 23, 2000
• Panama (November 25, 1913), Berne: June 8, 1996
• Paraguay (September 20, 1917), Berne: January 2, 1992
• Peru (April 30, 1920), Berne: August 20, 1988
• Uruguay (December 17, 1919), Berne: July 10, 1967
• United States (May 11, 1911), Berne: March 1, 1989