ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988

Okay kiddo, so have you ever drawn a picture or written a story that you loved and wanted to share with others? That's called being creative!

Now imagine if someone saw your picture or read your story and decided to copy it without asking you or giving you any credit. That would make you pretty upset, right?

Well, adults also like to create things like books, music, and art, and they want their work to be protected from people who might try to copy it without permission. That's where the Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988 comes in.

The Berne Convention is an international agreement between lots of different countries that says that creative works by adults (like books, music, and art) should be automatically protected from being copied without permission.

The United States is one of the countries that agreed to follow the Berne Convention, so in 1988 they made a law called the Berne Convention Implementation Act. This law made sure that people who created things like books, music, and art could have their works protected from being copied without permission in the U.S.

So basically, the Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988 is a big rule that says if someone creates something cool like a book or a song, they have the right to decide who can copy it or use it, and nobody can just take it without asking first.