For copyright protection of work in a foreign country author should understand the extent of copyright protection offered to a foreign work in that country.  The work can be protected if that country is a party to any international copyright convention.  As a prerequisite one must comply with the conditions of that convention.

The United States has copyright relations with most countries throughout the world and so it protects the work of those countries as well.  Berne convention, which was established for the copyright protection among its member nations, was signed by the U.S. in 1989.  Member countries of the Berne Convention treats foreign authors equivalently to domestic authors.

Importations of a foreign work into the United States or exportation from the United States, without the authority of the owner of copyright constitute an infringement of copyright.  There are certain exceptions to this rule.  Importation or exportation of copies or phonorecords for the use of the government of the United States, exportation or importation of only one copy  of the work which is not for distribution but for personal use, if imported by or for an organization operated for scholarly, educational, or religious purposes and not for private gain, or if copies are reproduced in raised characters for the use of the blind are some of them.