Legal Question in Business Law in Japan

Copyright question

Say that I go back to my native country the Philippines & made a website that was based on American movies. The website will allow users to watch American movies only. However, I'm doing it illegally . Now let's say that the website got really big like Google & government found out I was doing it illegally. Now when the government takes me to court, am I going to be trial under Philippine copyright law or American copyright law?

Here what wikipedia says about copyright in the U.S.

United States copyright law governs the legally enforceable rights of creative and artistic works in the United States.

Based on that I would think I would be trial under American law because I have something that technically belongs to the Americans like the Motion Picture Association of America or movie production team.

I was also thinking that I wouldn't be really trial under American law or Philippines. I was more thinking that this would be an international issue so I would be trial under International law.

Have any of you ever heard of the berne convention law? None of the high school teacher doesn't seem to know what it is.


Asked on 8/08/07, 2:09 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Michael Hendrickson Law Office Michael E. Hendrickson

Re: Copyright question

If you were being prosecuted criminally in the Phillipines, the criminal law of the Phillipines would apply and your alleged violations of that law would form the basis for the

case against you (rather than alleged violations of American copyright law).

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Answered on 8/13/07, 8:33 am


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