This book critically investigates the patent protection of medication in light of the threats posed by HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis epidemics to the citizens of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (hereinafter "SSA" or "Africa"). The book outlines the systemic problems associated with the prevailing globalized patent regime and the regime's inability to promote access to life-saving medication at affordable prices in SSA. It argues that for pharmaceutical patents to retain their relevance in SSA countries, human development concepts must be integrated into global patent law- and policy-making. An integrative approach implies developing additional public health and human development exceptions/limitations to the exercise of patent rights with the goal of scaling up access to medication that can treat epidemics in SSA. By drawing on multiple perspectives of laws, institutions, practices, and politics, the book suggests that SSA countries adopt an evidence-based approach to implementing global patent standards in domestic jurisdictions. This evidence-based approach would include mechanisms like local need assessments and the use of empirical data to shape domestic patent law-making endeavors. The approach also implies revising patent rules and policies with a pro-poor and pro-health emphasis, so that medication will be more affordable and accessible to the citizens of SSA countries. It also suggests considering the opinions of individuals and pro-access institutions in enacting crucial pieces of health-related statutes in SSA countries. The approach in this book is sensitive to the public health needs of the citizens affected by epidemics and to the imperative of building local manufacturing facilities for pharmaceutical research and development in SSA.

This book features 15 country reports on the patent enforcement practice of the world's most litigated countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Litigation strategies for both right owners and alleged infringers are explained against the background of case law on: types of action, standing to sue, jurisdiction, obtaining evidence, provisional and final measures, trial practice, types of infringement, remedies and counterclaims, costs and issues of retrial, threats and wrongful enforcement. Special chapters cover the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Agreement provisions on enforcement, enforcement issues in the European Community, international cross-border litigation and border measures. The reports are written by patent practitioners or academic experts in the field, and the homogenous structure of the country reports allows for an easy identification of best practices and strategic considerations on the choice of jurisdiction.

This book provides an in-depth study on current perceptions of, and responses to, fragmentation in the European patent system (EPS). For decades, attempts have been made to address this fragmentation by introducing a unitary patent system. The most recent attempt, the EU unitary patent system, will be the first of its kind. It is expected to significantly change the EPS. However, rather than reducing existing fragmentation, it will likely add to it. Based on an analysis of the current and forthcoming system, the book argues that the inherent nature of fragmentation within the EPS needs to be recognised and suggests that a multifaceted approach is required to respond to it. Uniquely, it draws on work regarding fragmentation outside of the patent and intellectual property regimes, gaining insights from both European law-making and the international legal system. These insights are used to investigate current responses to fragmentation in the EPS. Interpretations of substantive patent law are examined, including claim construction (Actavis v Eli Lily), exceptions to patentability related to uses of human embryos for industrial or commercial purposes (WARF, Brustle, ISCC), and products resulting from essentially biological processes (Broccoli and Tomatoes II, G3/19). Attempts towards convergence in these areas have had mixed results and in some instances fragmentation may be necessary. However, similar techniques to those applied in the international legal system to respond to fragmentation are being used in the EPS, and, where this is seen, it has been to good effect. It is argued that these methods should be recognised, structured, and promoted to make our response to fragmentation more effective. Fragmentation and the European Patent System will be of interest to academics, students and practitioners looking for a new perspective on the EPS.

This incisive book explores the ways in which the major notions of fairness, morality and ordre public can be used both to justify and to limit IP rights. Written by an international team of experts in the field, it provides varied and sometimes divergent perspectives on how these notions are applied to different rights and in different contexts. Fairness, Morality and Ordre Public in Intellectual Property addresses questions about which outcomes of IP use can be defined as fair or moral, to whom they may be considered fair or unfair, and which criteria should be used to decide. Chapters examine these issues through topics such as fairness in copyright law, economic aspects of fairness, the intersection of human rights principles and indigenous peoples? heritage rights with IP, and the pricing of pharmaceutical drugs.Scholars and researchers working in IP, international trade and public international law policy will find this book to be critical reading. It will also be relevant to international IP law practitioners and policy makers.

Protection of intellectual property rights (IPRs) serves a dual role in economic development. While it promotes innovation by providing legal protection of inventions, it may retard catch-up and learning by restricting the diffusion of innovations. Does stronger IPR protection in a developing country encourage technology development in or technology transfer to that country? This book aims to address the issue, covering diverse forms of IPRs, varied actors in innovation, and multiple case studies from Asia and Latin America. IPRs and their interaction with other factors such as such as the quality of knowledge institutions (e.g. academia, public research institutes or industrial research centers such as science parks), availability of trained human capital, and networks for research collaboration or interaction (e.g. university-industry research collaboration or international collaboration) in a development context, is the subject of this book.Intellectual Property for Economic Development: - Considers the diverse forms of IPRs and technology transfer and their implications for economic development. - Analyzes the role of inventors in different contexts including those in universities and in domestic and international mobility and collaborations. - Presents in-depth analyses of specific issues involving IPRs in the context of countries at different levels of development, including Mexico, China and Korea. Focus is paid to the differences between East Asia and Latin America. This book will appeal to academics and researchers in the areas of development economics, the economics of IP, law and economics and IP innovation. Contributors: S.A. Ahn, C.R. Duran, B.H. Hall, A. Hu, S. Karmakar, J. Kim, Y.K. Kim, K. Lee, S. Lee, D.C. Lippoldt, G. Marschke, F. Montobbio, S. Nagaoka, T. Naotoshi, K.-H. Park, W.G. Park, V. Sterzi, J. Suh

The book reads so easily you hardly notice the erudition that has gone into it. Whether the authors are right in thinking harmonisation would be easier than is supposed is an open question - one they make you think about seriously.' - Rt Hon Sir Robin Jacob, University College London, UKThis insightful study explores the constitutional, institutional, and cultural barriers to harmonisation of the copyright laws of the United States and the European Union. It considers these matters in the real world transnational environment in which copyright law operates and suggests that the reality transcends the differences, offering a framework for meaningful harmonisation. The authors examine in detail and offer a critique of the sporadic and historic attempts at one or another form of harmonisation, via treaty and otherwise, from the creation of a minimal standards regime to the proliferation of substantive treaties. They similarly examine the respective competencies of the US and the EU to adopt a transnational regime, and propose a workable framework consistent with these competencies. Offering a critical analysis of treaties and other prior attempts at forms of harmonization, this book will have special appeal to governmental and nongovernmental individuals involved in the ongoing efforts of WIPO and the WTO, as well as copyright and intellectual property practitioners with internationally oriented practices. Contents: 1. Harmony, Policy, and Power 2. Minimum Standards and International Codes 3. Why We Don't Play Well with Others: U.S. Constitutional Constraints on Harmonisation of Copyright Law 4. If There is a Will, There is a Way.... The Broad Legislative Competence of the European Union 5. A Framework for Harmonisation Index

For the first time, this book provides an up-to-date history of product design and product design law covering 17 countries - Japan, Korea, China, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden), Russia, the United States, Brazil and Australia - selected for their innovative or influential approach to design or design protection. Each country is the subject of two chapters - one on the history of design and the other on the history of design law - authored by experts in design and intellectual property (IP) law. This unique interdisciplinary approach explains why and how various national design protection systems (that can include design, copyright, trade mark, competition and civil laws) developed, making it an ideal book for students, researchers and lawyers. The book also serves as an international survey of different national policy and legal responses to historical developments and specific design and legal issues allowing readers to consider their advantages and disadvantages - and so is also recommended for policy and law makers, as well as organizations that administer IP rights. Topics include the subject matter of design protection; procedural and substantive requirements; design registration; infringement; and the overlap of design rights and other IP rights. The chapters on design history provide further context to the historical development of these legal concepts by considering major design movements, key designers and iconic designs and the current state of design. The chapters highlight the connected and often complementary relationship between the two histories, not only for each country, but at the regional and international level, often as a result of government policies, trade, colonialism, immigration and globalisation. Design and design practice continue to become more global and evolve with developments in technology. At the same time, design laws are not internationally harmonized and continue to develop at the national level, with a number of significant changes occurring in recent years. This timely book shows how the lessons of the past continue to inform the future direction of design and the legal systems developed to protect it.

This latest monograph by Professor Korah on the recent group exemption consists of a detailed and critical commentary on the technology transfer block exemption and guidelines of 2004, and of the case law of the ECJ and Commission on licensing and refusals to license, together with annotated copies of the regulation and guidelines. There is a substantial chapter on refusal to supply or license in the light of the recent case law under Article 82. It embraces many of the competition issues that may affect intellectual property rights. After a brief introduction, the work starts with short chapters on the free movement of goods and services, the status of the Commission's guidelines and the historically hostile attitude of the Commission under Article 81 towards licensing. It then launches into a detailed analysis of the regulation and the probable treatment of licences that do not fall within it. Throughout the book the author provides extensive analysis of policy and economics as well as comparison with US practice.

This book takes a unique approach to mitigate the problem of massive online copyright infringement and justify fan activities. It argues for a cooperative approach that encourages copyright owners to exert a degree of control over their fan creators. In contrast to the current approach, which treats fan utilizations as theft, this book suggests that the copyright owners and the lawmakers should instead distinguish between fan creators and commercial pirates, allowing them unleash their potential. This book offers a clear and comprehensive account of the fascinating aspects of legal problems created by fan activities in China, Japan and the United States, offering a valuable guide for students, practitioners, academics and entrepreneurs whose work involves or who are interested in cutting-edge legal issues in the creative industry. "Tianxiang He introduces us to the world of fandom inhabited by 'fan-subbers', fan-dubbers', 'mash-uppers', and 'fan-fictionists' against the backdrop of copyright law and policy in China. His work is engaging in that it not merely describes the law, but also the political dimension where copyright and state media control converge into a reality where being an artist or a fan is not that straightforward." -- Prof. Anselm Kamperman Sanders, Institute for Globalization and International Regulation (IGIR), Faculty of Law, Maastricht University "The tension between copyright holders and fan communities has been increasingly salient yet underexplored. This timely, insightful and deeply engaging book not only fills a niche, but also covers a country that has been rarely examined in this context. The book advances a promising model for the two groups to cooperate. It also explores complex issues concerning political culture, media regulation and civic engagement in China. A must read for anybody interested in copyright law, cultural production, digital technology or Chinese information policy." -- Prof. Peter K. Yu, Professor of Law and Director, Center for Law and Intellectual Property, Texas A&M University School of Law

The book focuses the openness of Chinese copyright law and patent law, namely the right limitation and exception rules (as the IP-internal balancing mechanism) and the right enforcement and protection (as the IP-external balancing mechanism). It examines the highlights of the 3rd and 4th amendments to the Chinese copyright law, patent law and the trademark law, addressing the most debated questions during these amendments. This book also takes a comparative approach to study the legislations and case laws in the USA, EU and China. The comparison covers the legislation, case decisions, which could offer useful clues for legislators to revise the current law, for judges to decide the cases about relevant topics and lay down their market plans. Moreover, this study also provides several recommendations for the right holders who are currently operating or planning to operate in China, regarding the de facto protection levels of their IP rights, the risks of right infringement and litigation costs as well as the trend of the goalsetting in their intellectual property strategy.

In the absence of international rules governing parallel imports and exhaustion of intellectual property rights, issues arising in this context are left to the individual countries concerned. Asian countries, although generally more open towards parallel imports than Europe or the U.S., show marked differences both among their individual approaches and among the various intellectual property rights in question. Increasingly, permitting or blocking parallel imports of intellectually protected goods is regarded as a political decision to accommodate foreign pressure, domestic consumers, or right holders. Due to the diversity of legal regimes in the jurisdictions covered, reliable information on the regimes of parallel imports in Asia has been hard to come by. Now, Parallel Imports in Asia brings together the insight and experience of fourteen academics and practitioners in this specialized but highly significant field, each highly respected in his or her particular country. Two concise introductory chapters clearly present the economic and legal foundations of the subject matter. Then, thirteen chapters offer indepth analysis of exhaustion of intellectual property rights and parallel imports for each of twelve Asian jurisdictions-China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, The Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and India-plus the Australasian bloc. With this book, businesses in all of these countries-and in particular India and the Australasian countries-can assess the strength of their IP rights against parallel importation in other parts of Asia. All country reports are written in a uniform structure and take into account legal, political and economicconsiderations with respect to the parallel importation of patented, trademarked and copyrighted goods. A useful appendix provides a synoptically overview on the rules of parallel importation in Asia. While academics will find here a thought-provoking survey of an important but relatively unstudied area of intellectual property law, Parallel Imports in Asia will prove to be of greatest value to potential investors in Asia, particularly with regard to market separation and licensing agreements. It will also help practicing lawyers for globally operating companies to appropriately counsel their clients in this area of business decision making.

The new millennium has carried several challenges for patent law. This up-to-date book provides readers with an important overview of the most critical issues patent law is still facing today at the beginning of the twenty first century, on both sides of the Atlantic. New technological sectors have emerged, each one with its own features with regard to innovation process and pace. From the most controversial cases in biotech to the most recent decisions in the field of software and business methods patent, patent law has tried to stretch its boundaries in a way to accommodate such new and controversial subject matters into its realm. Biotechnology and Software Patent Law will strongly appeal to postgraduate students specializing in IP law, international law, commercial and business law, competition law as well as IP scholars, academics and lawyers. Contributors: S.D. Anderman, R.B. Bakels, S.J.R. Bostyn, D.L. Burk, V. Di Cataldo, V. Falce, C. Geiger, R.M. Hilty, C.M. Holman, M.A. Lemley, A. Ottolia, J. Pila, J.R. Thomas, P.L.C. Torremans

This title is the first to explore how authorship is changing in a digital age, particularly focusing on how restrictive copyright laws are endangering the future of culture. The act of creation requires us to remix existing cultural content and yet recent sweeping changes to copyright laws have criminalized the creative act as a violation of corporate rights in a commodified world. Copyright was originally designed to protect publishers, not authors, and has now gained a stranglehold on our ability to transport, read, write, teach and publish digital materials. Contrasting Western models with issues of piracy as practiced in Asia, "Digital Prohibition" explores the concept of authorship as a capitalist institution and posits the Marxist idea of the multitude (a la Antonio Negri and Michael Hardt, and Paulo Virno) as a new collaborative model for creation in the digital age. Looking at how digital culture has transformed unitary authorship from its book-bound parameters into a collective and dispersed endeavor, Dr. Guertin examines process-based forms as diverse as blogs, Facebook, Twitter, performance art, immersive environments, smart mobs, hacktivism, tactical media, machinima, generative computer games (like Spore and The Sims) and augmented reality.

Dealing with rights and developments at the margin of classic intellectual property, this fascinating book explores emerging types of regulations and how existing IP regimes inform and influence the judicial and legislative creation of 'substitute' IP rights.The editors have carefully structured the book to ensure that there is a thorough analysis of how commercial values arising at the margins of classic IP rights are regulated. As new regimes of regulations emerge, the question of how existing IP regimes inform and influence the judicial and legislative creation of 'substitute' intellectual property rights is explored. By doing this, the contributors interrogate the very boundaries that constitute what IP rights traditionally protect and cover. Should all investments in anything intangible and 'intellectual' - such as product shapes, personality, data and organization of an event - be protected as property? Should there be qualitative differences among the types of investments and achievements? These are just some of the interesting questions addressed in this important new book. Academics, policymakers, lawyers and many others concerned with IP rights, will benefit from the extensive and thoughtful discussion presented in this work. Contributors: T. Aplin, S. Ericsson, J. Griffiths, A. Kur, N. Lee, S. Maniatis, A. Ohly, A. Quaedvlieg, G. Rinkerman, K. Schmitt, Y. Tamura, N. van der Laan, G. Westkamp

'This is the best industry-focussed legal textbook I've seen. Rosie covers a lot of ground and navigates complex areas of law in plain English. The book is accessible, well-structured and highly relevant.' - James Sweeting, Senior IP Counsel, Superdry PLC 'A refreshingly insightful overview of the legal challenges and opportunities facing fashion businesses operating today in Europe. It condenses vast realms of information into digestible and practical summaries, all written in a modern and commercial voice that enthuses passion for this fabulous industry.' - Head of Legal, Online Fashion Business, UK European Fashion Law: A Practical Guide from Start-up to Global Success provides an accessible guide to the legal issues associated with running a fashion business in Europe. This concise book follows the lifecycle of a fashion business from protecting initial designs through to global expansion. Readers will benefit from: The logical and easy-to-follow structure which highlights relevant legal considerations at each stage in the development of a fashion business First-hand, practical guidance on commercial issues associated with the fashion industry, including: how to avoid costly legal disputes, launching a website and working with third parties Advice on how to protect a company's intellectual property at each stage of business development: from registering designs to combating counterfeits A concise overview of relevant EU legislation and case law as it applies in practice. This inherently practical book will be a helpful go-to guide for those running a fashion business and for their in-house legal teams. For lawyers in practice the book will be useful point of reference when advising fashion and retail clients. For students of fashion, design, retail, or intellectual property, this book will provide a practical grounding to accompany academic studies.

The 1911 Copyright Act, often termed the 'Imperial Copyright Act', changed the jurisprudential landscape in respect of copyright law, not only in the United Kingdom but also within the then Empire. This book offers a bird's eye perspective of why and how the first global copyright law launched a new order, often termed the 'common law copyright system'.This carefully researched and reflective work draws upon some of the best scholarship from Australia, Canada, India, Israel, Jamaica, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and United Kingdom. The authors - academics and practitioners alike - situate the Imperial Copyright Act 1911 within their national laws, both historically and legally. In doing so, the book queries the extent to which the ethos and legacy of the 1911 Copyright Act remains within indigenous laws. A Shifting Empire offers a unique global, historical view of copyright development and will be a valuable resource for policymakers, academic scholars and members of international copyright associations. Contributors include: T.G. Agitha, M.D. Birnhack, D. Daley, Y. Gendreau, N.S. Gopalakrishnan, N.-L.W. Loon, G. McLay, S. Ricketson, U. Suthersanen

Intellectual Property Law in The Netherlands deals with IP rights, unfair competition law, internet-related aspects, and procedural law aspects. Since Dutch IP law is of an increasingly European character, the relevant EC law aspects and the decisions of the European Court of Justice are also discussed. This volume offers a practical guidance for both in-house counsels and IP lawyers who encounter Dutch IP law issues. Intellectual Property Law in The Netherlands covers an area that is practised in several law firms in The Netherlands. There are only a few, however, that provide the in-depth expertise that meets the degree of sophistication demanded by the international business community. Allen & Overy is unanimously recognized as one of the few belonging to the first tier of leading IP firms. The Amsterdam IP practice group closely co-operates with the IP departments of Allen & Overy in other countries, and Allen & Overy's cross-border CMT Group (Communications, Media, and Technology).

This collection of essays highlights the sometimes absurd outcomes which an unjustified overprotection of intellectual property (IP) may lead to. It collects and comments on a series of IP disputes which have taken the notion of IP protection to extremes. From individuals being sued for hundreds of thousands of dollars for sharing a playlist, to sports spectators being arrested for wearing the 'wrong' dresses, passing through granting patents for inventions obtained by misappropriating traditional knowledge, and trademark protection of merely descriptive signs, this book brings together a broad range of examples from across the IP spectrum where protection and enforcement have been used or threatened on unreasonable and/or untenable grounds. The aim of the book is to criticise these excesses precisely because they harm IP; and because they contribute to creating an environment where more and more people are led to 'hate' IP, and view it as a protectionist regime which discourages creativity in innovation and ends up safeguarding the owners of monopolistic rights which restrict trade, competition and people's freedom. This is not, therefore, a book against IP, it is instead a call for change and an attempt to 'save' IP through critiquing its excesses and preventing such a fascinating area of law from continuing to be an easy target for criticism. The book includes a foreword by Jason Mazzone, Albert E Jenner Jr Professor of Law at the University of Illinois, USA.

In light of the ever-growing and developing jurisprudence of the Court of Justice and the General Court, and forthcoming substantive and systemic changes to the law, there is a need for a fresh and practical approach to the procedure and case law of trade marks in Europe. Trade Mark Law in Europe is a comprehensive guide to European trade mark law following the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union and the case law of the General Court. It provides a wide-ranging overview of the trade mark system, including detailed and critical discussion of forthcoming changes, as well as an in-depth look at the life of a trade mark up to enforcement. It considers the conditions for maintaining a registration, the protection and enforcement of trade marks, and the interface between trade mark law and other areas of practice. Finally, it offers detailed and insightful analysis of current developments, challenges, and opportunities. This is complemented by an international and comparative approach which selectively considers the contemporary jurisprudence of the Supreme Court of the United States and general US practice, as well as national jurisprudence in areas not yet covered by the CJEU. Written by highly-regarded authors with considerable expertise across a range of constituencies, Trade Marks in Europe is a timely and important study of this complex and challenging area of law.

In our digital world, data is power. Information hoarding businesses reign supreme, using intimidation, aggression, and force to maintain influence and control. Sarah Lamdan brings us into the unregulated underworld of these "data cartels", demonstrating how the entities mining, commodifying, and selling our data and informational resources perpetuate social inequalities and threaten the democratic sharing of knowledge. Just a few companies dominate most of our critical informational resources. Often self-identifying as "data analytics" or "business solutions" operations, they supply the digital lifeblood that flows through the circulatory system of the internet. With their control over data, they can prevent the free flow of information, masterfully exploiting outdated information and privacy laws and curating online information in a way that amplifies digital racism and targets marginalized communities. They can also distribute private information to predatory entities. Alarmingly, everything they're doing is perfectly legal. In this book, Lamdan contends that privatization and tech exceptionalism have prevented us from creating effective legal regulation. This in turn has allowed oversized information oligopolies to coalesce. In addition to specific legal and market-based solutions, Lamdan calls for treating information like a public good and creating digital infrastructure that supports our democratic ideals.

Open source software licences are based on two fundamental principles: the possibility for users to use the software for any purpose and the possibility to modify and redistribute it without prior authorisation from the initial developer. Some open source software licences, like the General Public Licence (GPL), also impose a corollary obligation on the licensee: to make the source code available to other developers. The idea behind this form of licensing is that when programmers can read, redistribute and modify the source code for a piece of software, the software evolves. A number of legal challenges need to be addressed in order to ensure the most efficient deployment of open content licences in Europe and in the Netherlands, not least because most open source licences originate from the United States. This study gives an overview of the current legal situation regarding the use of open source software licences and investigates how the most commonly used open source software licences measure up to Dutch and European law. How does the distinct production and distribution model of open source licences fit in the current legal framework? Does the current legal environment support the use of open source licences or does it rather impede their use? In this last case, would certain adaptations to the law or to the licence terms be appropriate? By its in-depth analysis and clear conclusions, Unravelling the Myth around Open Source Licences amply contributes to the understanding of this complex field that policy makers, regulators, and academics so crucially require. Taking the provisions of the GNU GPL, the BSD, and the Mozilla Public Licence as examples, it investigates the implications of open source licensing from a private law, copyright law and patent law perspective. It also takes a brief look at the issue of the enforcement of these licences. To facilitate the use and enforcement of open source software licences in Europe, and more particularly in the Netherlands, the authors conclude their study by making a number of recommendations for the adaptation of the licence terms with a view to enhancing their compliance with the legal requirements. Lucie Guibault is Senior Researcher at the University of Amsterdam's Institute for Information Law (IViR). Ot van Daalen is an attorney with the firm of De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek in Amsterdam. This is Volume 8 in the Information Technology and Law (IT&Law) Series