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Because works are used in a way that transcends national borders, such as though trade or transmission through the Internet, many countries are implementing international copyright protection through treaties. Of these treaties, Japan concluded the WIPO Copyright Treaty, which was adapted to respond to the trend towards digitization and the spread of networks, in June 2000.

Discussions are presently underway at WIPO regarding new treaties, and Japan intends to actively participate in the formulation of these treaties.

CDs, game software, and videos are being distributed on a massive scale throughout developing countries in regions such as Asia, and as such, there have been instances of copyright infringement due to illegal copies ("pirated" copies). The Agency for Cultural Affairs, with a view to promoting international cultural exchange as well as trade and industry, is conducting various international cooperation projects and working to help establish copyright systems in developing countries, in order to ensure that Japanese copyrighted works are sufficiently protected overseas (See Table 2-8-1 ).

Table 2-8-1 International Cooperation on Copyright Issues