On 30 August, the 1996 WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT) and the 1996 WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT) came into force in Belgium.
In accordance with Article 3(3) of the WPPT, Belgium has taken advantage of the option not to apply the so-called "criterion of publication" as a point of attachment for the granting of national rights to foreign producers of phonograms (Article 5(3) of the 1961 Rome Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organizations).
There are currently 60 WCT member states. 58 countries have ratified the WPPT.
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