This book offers an intensive investigation of past and present achievements and failures in international environmental law. International Environmental Disputes is a thought-provoking examination of the world's most pressing environmental problems and the attempts to remedy them through international law. From the dumping of ash in the Danube and the disposal of waste in western Africa to the effects of the Everglades sugar industry, the work explores such topics as the role of the United Nations, the debate over sustainable development, environmental ethics, biopiracy, and radioactive material in space satellites. The book covers issues such as treaties on the ozone layer, global climate change, and the Kyoto protocol. A chapter devoted to the United States discusses the international environmental impact of its economy. Biographical sketches introduce readers to a diverse cast of characters including a New Guinea tribal elder and a Japanese TV personality. A chronology of milestone events, such as the Tisza cyanide spill and the death of the last passenger pigeon Excerpts from key documents, including treaties such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and documents relating to the Corfu Channel dispute and other key cases, as well as UN and nongovernmental documents

As long as there have been fans, there has been fan fiction. There seems to be a fundamental human need to tell additional stories about the characters after the book, series, play or movie is over. But developments in information technology and copyright law have put these fan stories at risk of collision with the content owners' intellectual property rights. Fan fiction has long been a nearly invisible form of outsider art, but over the past decade it has grown exponentially in volume and in legal importance. Because of its nature, authorship, and underground status, fan fiction stands at an intersection of key issues regarding property, sexuality, and gender. In Fan Fiction and Copyright, author Aaron Schwabach examines various types of fan-created content and asks whether and to what extent they are protected from liability for copyright infringement. Professor Schwabach discusses examples of original and fan works from a wide range of media, genres, and cultures. From Sherlock Holmes to Harry Potter, fictional characters, their authors, and their fans are sympathetically yet realistically assessed. Fan Fiction and Copyright looks closely at examples of three categories of disputes between authors and their fans: Disputes over the fans' use of copyrighted characters, disputes over online publication of fiction resembling copyright work, and in the case of J.K. Rowling and a fansite webmaster, a dispute over the compiling of a reference work detailing an author's fictional universe. Offering more thorough coverage of many such controversies than has ever been available elsewhere, and discussing fan works from the United States, Brazil, China, India, Russia, and elsewhere, Fan Fiction and Copyright advances the understanding of fan fiction as transformative use and points the way toward a safe harbor for fan fiction.

The world of Internet law is constantly changing and is difficult to follow, even for those for whom doing so is a full-time job. This updated, everything-you-need-to-know reference removes the uncertainty. Internet and the Law: Technology, Society, and Compromises, Second Edition is the go-to source for anyone who needs clear explanations of complex legal concepts related to online practices and content. This wide-ranging, alphabetical reference explores diverse areas of law, including territorial jurisdiction and taxation, that are relevant to or affected by advances in information technology and the rise of the Internet. Particular emphasis is placed on intellectual property law and laws regarding freedom of expression. The Internet, as this book shows, raises questions not only about how to protect intellectual creations, but about what should be protected. Entries also discuss how the Web has brought First Amendment rights and free expression into question as society grapples with attempts to control "leaks" and to restrict content such as pornography, spam, defamation, and criminal speech. Explains complex legal and technical concepts clearly and understandably through entries that range from 500 to 5,000 words Covers a wide range of topics, including censorship, copyright, domain name disputes, file-sharing, hacking, patents, spam, malware, international law, tax issues, trademarks, and viruses Features an introductory guide to the U.S. legal system, including how to find, read, and understand sources of law Includes cases, statutes, and international treaties relevant to the law of information technology and the Internet

As long as there have been fans, there has been fan fiction. There seems to be a fundamental human need to tell additional stories about the characters after the book, series, play or movie is over. But developments in information technology and copyright law have put these fan stories at risk of collision with the content owners' intellectual property rights. Fan fiction has long been a nearly invisible form of outsider art, but over the past decade it has grown exponentially in volume and in legal importance. Because of its nature, authorship, and underground status, fan fiction stands at an intersection of key issues regarding property, sexuality, and gender. In Fan Fiction and Copyright, author Aaron Schwabach examines various types of fan-created content and asks whether and to what extent they are protected from liability for copyright infringement. Professor Schwabach discusses examples of original and fan works from a wide range of media, genres, and cultures. From Sherlock Holmes to Harry Potter, fictional characters, their authors, and their fans are sympathetically yet realistically assessed. Fan Fiction and Copyright looks closely at examples of three categories of disputes between authors and their fans: Disputes over the fans' use of copyrighted characters, disputes over online publication of fiction resembling copyright work, and in the case of J.K. Rowling and a fansite webmaster, a dispute over the compiling of a reference work detailing an author's fictional universe. Offering more thorough coverage of many such controversies than has ever been available elsewhere, and discussing fan works from the United States, Brazil, China, India, Russia, and elsewhere, Fan Fiction and Copyright advances the understanding of fan fiction as transformative use and points the way toward a safe harbor for fan fiction.

This book examines the history of the concepts of intellectual property and the current state of U.S. and international intellectual property law. Can you own an idea? Yes, you can. Intellectual property, a concept dating back to the Middle Ages, is today an increasingly important part of both the domestic economy and international trade. Yet today, easy access to file-sharing software via home computers and the Internet has created a new crisis in intellectual property law, which struggles to keep pace with new developments. In this timely and readable volume, law professor Aaron Schwabach explores the three traditional categories of intellectual property - copyright, patent, and trademark. He traces their historical development from medieval times to the present and observes how intellectual property law has responded to successive waves of technological change. Intellectual Property examines all sides of current controversies and crises in this fast-changing field, particularly those resulting from the digital information revolution. intellectual property, including trade secrets, as an international phenomenon, emphasizing the experiences and contributions of a wide variety of countries and cultures. It is an essential resource for students and researchers - and anyone else who needs to know how to use and/or protect intellectual property.