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Page Number: 12.0

8 

GOLAN v. HOLDER 

Opinion of the Court 

subject member countries to tariffs or cross-sector retalia-
tion.  See  Gervais,  supra,  at  213;  7  W.  Patry,  Copyright 
§24:1,  pp.  24–8  to  24–9  (2011).    The  specter  of  WTO  en-
forcement  proceedings  bolstered  the  credibility  of  our 
trading  partners’  threats  to  challenge  the  United States
for  inadequate  compliance  with  Article  18.   See  URAA 
Joint  Hearing  137  (statement  of  Shapiro,  USTR)  (“It  is 
likely  that  other  WTO  members  would  challenge  the
current  U. S.  implementation  of  Berne  Article  18  under
[WTO] procedures.”).8 

Congress’  response  to  the  Uruguay  agreements  put  to
rest any questions concerning U. S. compliance with Arti-
cle 18.  Section 514 of the URAA, 108 Stat. 4976 (codified 
at 17 U. S. C. §104A, 109(a)),9 extended copyright to works 
that garnered protection in their countries of origin,10 but 

—————— 

8 Proponents  of  prompt  congressional  action  urged  that  avoiding  a 
trade  enforcement  proceeding—potentially  the  WTO’s  first—would  be 
instrumental  in  preserving  the  United  States’  “reputation  as  a  world
leader  in  the  copyright  field.”    URAA  Joint  Hearing  241  (statement  of 
Eric Smith, International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA)).  In this 
regard,  U. S.  negotiators  reported  that  widespread  perception  of  U. S.
noncompliance  was  undermining  our  leverage  in  copyright  negotia-
tions.    Unimpeachable  adherence  to  Berne,  Congress  was  told,  would 
help ensure enhanced foreign protection, and hence profitable dissemi-
nation,  for  existing  and  future  U. S.  works.    See  id.,  at  120  (app.  to
statement of Lehman, Commerce Dept.) (“Clearly, providing for [retro-
active]  protection  for  existing  works  in  our  own  law  will  improve  our 
position  in  future  negotiations.”);  id.,  at  268  (statement  of  Berman, 
RIAA). 

9 Title  17  U. S. C.  §104A  is  reproduced  in  full  in  an  appendix  to  this

opinion. 

10 Works from most, but not all, foreign countries are eligible for pro-
tection under §514.  The provision covers only works that have “at least
one  author  or rightholder  who  was, at  the  time  the  work  was  created, 
a  national  or  domiciliary  of  an  eligible  country.” 
  17  U. S. C. 
§104A(h)(6)(D).    An  “eligible  country”  includes  any  “nation,  other  than
the  United  States,  that—(A)  becomes  a  WTO  member  country  after  the 
date of the enactment of the [URAA]; [or] (B) on such date of enactment