themselves for the protection of literary or artistic works, provided that such agreements are not contrary to any of the provisions of the present convention.
"10. A Central International Office shall be established, at which shall be deposited by the Governments of the States of the Union the laws, decrees, and regulations affecting the rights of authors which have already been or shall hereafter be promulgated in any of the said Governments. This office shall collect the laws, etc., and publish a periodical print in the French language, in which shall be contained all the documents and information necessary to be made known to the parties interested."
First official
conference,
1884
This draft, as adopted, was submitted by the Swiss conference, government to the first formal international conference for the protection of the rights of authors, held at Berne from September 8 to 19, 1884. At this conference representatives from thirteen countries were present —Austria, Belgium, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Great Britain, Haiti, Holland, Italy, Salvador, Sweden and Norway, and Switzerland; and the result of their deliberations was a new "draft convention for the creation of a general union for the protection of the rights of authors," similar to the Universal Postal Union, in the following form:
"1. Authors placing themselves within the jurisdiction of the contracting countries will be afforded protection for their works, whether in print or manuscript, and will have all the advantages of the laws of the different nations embraced in the Union.
"2. These privileges will be dependent upon the carrying out of the conditions and formalities prescribed by the legislation of the author's native country, or of the country in which he chooses to first publish his work, such country being, of course, one of those included in the convention.
