The Berne Convention of 1886 set up the International Copyright Union. Each country of the Union granted protection to the authors and artists of all other member countries. The United States, did not join But in 1891 Congress passed an act granting copyright protection to authors of works originating in countries that gave similar protection to works published in the United States.

The United States ratified the Buenos Aires Convention of 1910, a copyright agreement between the United States and 17 Latin American nations. In 1952 the United States signed the Universal Copyright Convention. This agreement, which became effective in 1955, includes most major countries. The United States joined the Berne Convention in 1989.