August 20

On August 20, 1988, Peru becomes a signatory to the Berne Convention (for copyrights).

Copyright has a long and interesting history. Copyright is one of the few rights enumerated in the Constitution proper (alongside patents). However, the US did not particularly respect the copyright of other countries until the 1909 Berne Convention. A large part of the reason for this was United States intellectual property was becoming increasingly valuable. Berne was good for domestic copyright as well, as it removed several complex formalities from having a defensible copyright.

Berne was initially a treaty between Western nations. Copyright is a mixed blessing for emerging nations, because copyright does up the cost of intellectual property. A pirated copy of a book does not have to pay the author, for example. This is a contributory factor towards the popularity of English works in the US in the 18th century; English works were frequently pirated and consequently cheaper.

Additionally, in emerging nations, there is frequently much more intellectual property coming in than going out. Corporations, more familiar with copyright and patents, will also take credit (and the royalties) for traditional works.

Nonetheless, these nations end up joining Berne for other diplomatic reasons. They are pressured to do so in order to enjoy other benefits.