The WIPO Performance and Phonograms Treaty was first passed in 1996. The agreement as to this Treaty was settled in Geneva on December 20. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) provided the basic administrative framework for the WIPO Performance and Phonograms Treaty. As such, the WIPO Performance and Phonograms Treaty provided enforcement practices and principles for the protection of the rights of authors, performers and broadcasters.
The WIPO Performance and Phonograms Treaty is not directly enforceable as a means for law enforcement actions, but rather held its signatory members to the obligation to carry out legislative obligation in order to fulfill the obligation to retain the advantages rendered by Treaty membership.
As such, WIPO Performance and Phonograms Treaty provisions are intended to furnish the basis for specifically applicable and nationally enforceable laws. In the U.S., for instance, signingon to the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty led the nation to enact the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
