Convention for the Protection of Submarine Telegraph Cables

The Convention for the Protection of Submarine Telegraph Cables is a multilateral treaty that was signed in 1884 in order to protect submarine communications cables that had begun to be laid in the 19th century.
Content.
The convention made it a punishable offence to damage submarine communications cables. In addition, all ships were to be regulated to staying a distance of away from cable laying ships when in operation. Any ship that accidentally hooked a cable and sacrificed its fishing nets to avoid breaking it would be compensated for the lost equipment.
State parties.
The convention has been signed, ratified, and acceded to by the following parties. A number of dependent territories ratified the convention or had the convention extended to them. Initial signatory parties are listed in bold.
For states that were not original signatories, the date they accepted the convention is indicated.