Korea Copyright in The Republic of Korea The Republic of Korea (South Korea) enacted its current Copyright Act in 1986, as the country began its extremely rapid economic development, and has amended it regularly since, most recently as part of its obligations to carry out Free Trade Agreements entered into with the European Union and the United States. In the late 1990s, Korea joined the TRIPs Agreement, updating its membership in the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) and then the Berne Convention. Government responsibility for copyright in the Republic of Korea is lodged in the Copyright Commission of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Although, under the Berne Convention, no formalities are required for copyright protection, registration of copyrights in Korea (at the Copyright Commission) provides certain presumptions in the event of copyright litigation. Collective Licensing in The Republic of Korea The Korea Reproduction and Transmission Rights Association (KORRA) serves as the principal collective management organization for text-based materials.
