The owners of the copyrights in literature, music, movies, software, video games, images have certain rights under U.S. copyright law to prevent the importation of goods which were intended for distribution in another country. Importation of such products into the United States without permission may be an infringement. This may be true even if the good is a genuine copy and legal to distribute in the other country.

Trademarked (Branded) Items

The owners of the trademarks on branded goods have certain rights under U.S. trademark law to prevent the importation of goods which were intended for distribution in another country. Importation of such products into the United States without written permission may be an infringement. This may be true even if the good is a genuine copy and legal to distribute in the other country.

Patented Items

The owners of the patents have certain rights under U.S. patent law to prevent the importation of goods which employ technology protected by a U.S. patent. Importation of such products into the United States without permission may be an infringement. This may be true even if the good is a genuine copy and legal to distribute in the other country

Details.at strongly recommends that you carefully review the U.S. government's websites and other sources of information concerning importation of goods into the United States, and (if necessary) consult with an expert in this field before completing any transactions. The information and links provided below are not exhaustive, but simply are a starting point so that you can quickly familiarize yourself with some of the regulations in this area.

Here are some examples of potentially infringing imports:

� Music CDs that were intended for distribution in the United Kingdom (even if they are genuine copies)

� Videos that were intended for distribution in Canada (even if they are genuine copies)

� A video game player or software that is the Japanese version of the player or game and not intended for use in the United States. (Note that the offering of "mod chips," "emulators" or other devices intended to enable the use of unauthorized imports probably also may violate copyright laws)

� A computer hard drive which uses processes or technology which is patented by someone in the United States

� A t-shirt with a logo that was authorized for use abroad

� A Pokemon� toy that was intended for sale in Japan only

What About the Berne Convention?

Some users have written to us asking whether the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (sometimes mistakenly referred to as the "Berne Act") allows them to list an otherwise infringing item. The short answer is "no." The Berne Convention is an international treaty that the United States agreed to in 1989. By signing the Berne Convention, the U.S. committed to making certain changes to its copyright law. In fact, even before signing the Berne Convention, the U.S. had made all the necessary changes to its law. The Berne Convention itself is not U.S. law and does not excuse activity which otherwise would violate U.S. copyright law.