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Intellectual Property Rights - Law and Practice · Role of International Institutions

Other WIPO-Administered Treaties and Conventions Explained

Updated 11 October 2026 · Fact-checked

These are WIPO-administered treaties beyond Paris and Berne. The Rome Convention protects performers, phonogram producers and broadcasters. The WCT and WPPT update copyright and related rights for the digital age. The Hague Agreement gives international design registration, Locarno classifies designs, and the Marrakesh Treaty eases access to books for print-disabled persons.

Understand Other WIPO-Administered Treaties and Conventions

Paris and Berne are the base treaties. Later treaties fill gaps. Each one answers a specific problem, so learn it as: who is protected, what is the core rule, and who administers it.

Rome Convention, 1961 protects neighbouring (related) rights. These belong to three groups: performers, producers of phonograms (sound recordings) and broadcasting organisations. They are not authors, but their work rests on authors' works. The Convention rests on national treatment and sets minimum protection. It is administered jointly by WIPO, ILO and UNESCO, not by WIPO alone. India is not a party to it, though the Copyright Act, 1957 gives performers' rights and broadcast reproduction rights.

WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT), 1996 and WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT), 1996 are the "Internet treaties". WCT supplements Berne: it protects computer programs as literary works and original compilations of data, and gives the right of distribution, rental and communication to the public. WPPT covers performers and phonogram producers, including moral rights for performers and the making available right. Both require legal protection against circumvention of technological protection measures and against removal of rights management information. India is a party to both (accession 2018).

Design treaties. The Hague Agreement concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs lets an applicant file one application, in one language, with one set of fees, through WIPO to get protection in many member states. Locarno Agreement creates the International Classification for Industrial Designs, a list of classes and subclasses used to sort designs. It is a classification treaty, not a registration treaty. India is not a party to the Hague Agreement. An Indian applicant therefore cannot use the Hague system on the basis of India's membership. It can use it only through a qualifying connection to a member state, for example a real and effective establishment or domicile there. Otherwise it must file nationally, or under each country's own route, using Locarno classification where applicable.

Marrakesh Treaty, 2013 helps blind, visually impaired and print-disabled persons. It requires exceptions to copyright so that accessible-format copies (braille, audio, large print) can be made and shared, including across borders, by authorised entities. India is a party to it, and its Copyright Act, 1957 has a matching exception for disabled persons.

The Universal Copyright Convention (UCC), 1952 is administered by UNESCO, not WIPO. It was a bridge for states outside Berne, and uses the © notice and a lower protection standard. Berne gives protection without formalities and a higher minimum standard. Where both apply, Berne prevails between Berne members.

Key rules to remember

Rome Convention beneficiaries
Performers + Phonogram producers + Broadcasting organisations
These are neighbouring rights. Administered jointly by WIPO, ILO and UNESCO.
Internet treaties
WCT (1996) = authors' rights online; WPPT (1996) = performers and phonogram producers
Both require protection of technological measures and rights management information.
Design treaties
Hague = international registration; Locarno = classification
Do not mix the two. Locarno does not grant any right.
Marrakesh Treaty purpose
Copyright exception + accessible format copies + cross-border exchange
Beneficiaries are blind, visually impaired and print-disabled persons.
UCC vs Berne
UCC: UNESCO, © notice, lower standard; Berne: WIPO, no formalities, higher standard
Berne prevails between states bound by both.

How to solve Other WIPO-Administered Treaties and Conventions questions

Use this method for any question on these treaties, whether it asks you to explain, compare or apply.

  1. 1Name the treaty, its year and its administering body.
  2. 2State the problem it was made to solve.
  3. 3Identify who is protected or who benefits.
  4. 4State the core rules in two or three points: rights given, exceptions, or system of filing.
  5. 5Add India's position: member or not, and the matching provision in Indian law, only where you are sure.
  6. 6If it is a case question, apply the rule to the facts and conclude.
  7. 7Close with a one-line comparison with the base treaty (Berne, Paris or TRIPS) if the question invites it.

Quickest way: Who, what, why in three lines

When to use it: Short-note questions where you have about 6 to 8 minutes.

  1. Line 1: treaty, year, administrator.
  2. Line 2: protected persons and key rights or mechanism.
  3. Line 3: why it matters and India's position.
  4. Add a small comparison point to earn the extra mark.

Common mistakes in Other WIPO-Administered Treaties and Conventions

  • Saying the Rome Convention protects authors.

    Students link all copyright treaties to authors.

    Fix: Rome covers neighbouring rights: performers, phonogram producers and broadcasters.

  • Treating Locarno as a registration system.

    Both Hague and Locarno deal with designs.

    Fix: Hague registers designs internationally. Locarno only classifies them.

  • Saying WIPO alone administers the Rome Convention or the UCC.

    Students assume every IP treaty is a WIPO treaty.

    Fix: Rome is joint (WIPO, ILO, UNESCO). UCC is UNESCO. State this.

  • Confusing WCT and WPPT.

    Both date from 1996 and share similar digital provisions.

    Fix: WCT is for authors' works. WPPT is for performers and phonogram producers.

  • Limiting Marrakesh to braille.

    Students recall only the blind.

    Fix: It covers blind, visually impaired and print-disabled persons, and all accessible formats, with cross-border exchange.

Worked examples

Example 1

Distinguish the Universal Copyright Convention from the Berne Convention.

Show the solution
  1. Administrator: UCC is by UNESCO (1952). Berne is administered by WIPO (1886).
  2. Purpose: UCC gave a bridge for states that could not meet Berne's standard. Berne sets a higher minimum standard.
  3. Formalities: UCC allows a © notice with the owner's name and year as a formality. Berne gives protection without formalities.
  4. Relationship: where a state is bound by both, Berne prevails between Berne members.
  5. Conclusion: Berne is the stronger and main treaty. UCC is now of lesser practical use.

Answer: UCC is a UNESCO treaty with a lower standard and a © notice. Berne is a WIPO treaty with higher minimum protection and no formalities, and it prevails among Berne members.

Example 2

A Mumbai design firm wants protection for a new bottle design in several countries. Which WIPO treaties are relevant, and what does each do?

Show the solution
  1. Identify the subject: an industrial design needing multi-country protection.
  2. Hague Agreement: it allows one international application with WIPO, in one language and with one set of fees, designating member states. India is not a party to the Hague Agreement, so the firm cannot file as an Indian applicant on the basis of India's membership.
  3. The firm could use the Hague route only through a qualifying connection to a member state, for example a real and effective establishment or domicile there. Each designated office then examines under its own law and may refuse protection.
  4. If the firm has no such connection, it must file nationally in each target country, or under each country's own route.
  5. Locarno: whichever route is used, the design is classified under the International Classification for Industrial Designs where applicable, which helps in filing and searching.
  6. Conclusion: Hague is a filing route that is not open to the firm on India's membership. Locarno gives the classification. Locarno grants no right by itself.

Answer: India is not a Hague party, so the firm cannot use the Hague system as an Indian applicant. It can use it only through a qualifying connection to a member state, such as an establishment or domicile there. Otherwise it files nationally or under each country's own route, with the design classified under Locarno where applicable. Protection in each country depends on that country's office and law.

Exam tips

  • Write the administrator of each treaty. Examiners often reward this detail.
  • Prepare a one-line table in your head: treaty, year, protected persons, key rule.
  • For comparison questions, use points in two columns and end with a conclusion.
  • Link the treaty to Indian law only where you are sure, such as the disability exception for Marrakesh.
  • Do not guess accession dates. Say "India is a member" if you cannot recall the year.

Practice questions from Role of International Institutions

Other WIPO-Administered Treaties and Conventions: frequently asked questions

What is the difference between WCT and WPPT?

WCT supplements Berne and protects authors' works in the digital environment, including computer programs and databases. WPPT protects performers and phonogram producers. Both were adopted in 1996.

Is India a member of the Rome Convention?

No, India is not a party. Indian law still recognises performers' rights and broadcast reproduction rights under the Copyright Act, 1957.

What does the Marrakesh Treaty do?

It requires member states to provide copyright exceptions for making accessible-format copies for blind, visually impaired and print-disabled persons. It also allows cross-border exchange of these copies by authorised entities.

Hague Agreement or Locarno: which registers designs?

The Hague Agreement provides international registration through WIPO. Locarno only provides a classification of designs and grants no protection.