This collection of essays was written in honour of David Vaver, who recently retired as Professor of Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law and Director of the Oxford Intellectual Property Research Centre at the University of Oxford. The essays, written by some of the world's leading academics, practitioners and judges in the field of intellectual property law, take as their starting point the common assumption that the patent, copyright and trade mark laws within members of the 'common law family' (Australia, Canada, Israel, Singapore, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, and so on) share some sort of common tradition. The contributors examine, in relation to particular topics, the extent to which such a shared view of the field exists in the face of other forces that are producing divergence. The essays discuss, inter alia, issues concerning court practices, the medical treatment exception, non-obviousness and sufficiency in patent law, originality and exceptions in copyright law, unfair competition law, and cross-border goodwill and dilution in trade mark law.

In a path-breaking work, Tanya Aplin and Lionel Bently make the case that the quotation exception in Article 10 of the Berne Convention constitutes a global, mandatory, fair use provision. It is global, they argue, because of the reach of Berne qua Berne and qua TRIPS, and its mandatory nature is apparent from the clear language of Article 10 and its travaux. It relates to 'use' that is not limited by type of work, type of act, or purpose and it is 'fair' use because the work must be made available to the public, with attribution, and the use must be proportionate and consistent with fair practice. By explaining the contours of global, mandatory fair use - and thus displacing the 'three-step test' as the dominant, international copyright norm governing copyright exceptions - this book creates new insights into how national exceptions should be framed and interpreted.

Recent developments in trade marks law have called into question a variety of basic features, as well as bolder extensions, of legal protection. Other disciplines can help us think about fundamental issues such as: What is a trade mark? What does it do? What should be the scope of its protection? This volume assembles essays examining trade marks and brands from a multiplicity of fields: from business history, marketing, linguistics, legal history, philosophy, sociology and geography. Each chapter pairs lawyers' and non-lawyers' perspectives, so that each commentator addresses and critiques his or her counterpart's analysis. The perspectives of non-legal fields are intended to enrich legal academics' and practitioners' reflections about trade marks, and to expose lawyers, judges and policy-makers to ideas, concepts and methods that could prove to be of particular importance in the development of positive law.

An understanding of the changing nature of the law and practice of copyright infringement is a task too big for lawyers alone; it requires additional inputs from economists, historians, technologists, sociologists, cultural theorists and criminologists. Where is the boundary to be drawn between illegal imitation and legal inspiration? Would the answer be different for creators, artists and experts from different disciplines or fields? How have concepts of copyright infringement altered over time and how do such changes relate, if at all, to the cultural norms operating amongst creators in different fields? With such an approach, one might perhaps begin to address the vital and overarching question of whether strong copyright laws, rigorously enforced, impede rather than promote creativity. And what can be done to avoid any such adverse consequences, while maintaining the effectiveness of copyright as an incentive-mechanism for those who need it?

This innovative book celebrates the tri-centenary of modern copyright, which began with the enactment of the Statute of Anne by the British Parliament in 1709, and was soon followed by other copyright legislation abroad. The Statute of Anne is traditionally claimed to be the world's first copyright statute, and is thus viewed as the origin of a system of national laws that today exists in virtually all countries of the world. However, this book illustrates that while there is some truth in this claim, it is also important to treat it with caution. Written by leading experts from across the globe, this comprehensive (historical) analysis breaks new ground on modern copyright issues such as digital libraries, illegal downloading and distribution, international exhaustion and 'new formalities'. The expert contributors consider what lessons can be learnt from the achievements made during the last 300 years, and whether they can be used to overcome the new challenges facing copyright. This in-depth scientific analysis of the legacy of the Statute of Anne 300 years on from its origins will provide copyright practitioners, academics, policy makers and postgraduate students with a unique and fascinating read.

In a path-breaking work, Tanya Aplin and Lionel Bently make the case that the quotation exception in Article 10 of the Berne Convention constitutes a global, mandatory, fair use provision. It is global, they argue, because of the reach of Berne qua Berne and qua TRIPS, and its mandatory nature is apparent from the clear language of Article 10 and its travaux. It relates to 'use' that is not limited by type of work, type of act, or purpose and it is 'fair' use because the work must be made available to the public, with attribution, and the use must be proportionate and consistent with fair practice. By explaining the contours of global, mandatory fair use - and thus displacing the 'three-step test' as the dominant, international copyright norm governing copyright exceptions - this book creates new insights into how national exceptions should be framed and interpreted.

Intellectual property law is a subject of increasing economic importance and the focus of a great deal of legislative activity at an international and regional level. This 2004 collection brings together contributions from some of the most distinguished scholars in this exciting and controversial field, covering the full breadth of intellectual property law, that is, patents, copyright, trade marks and related rights. The contributions examine some of the most pressing practical and theoretical concerns which intellectual property lawyers face. These include: expanding the boundaries of IP in the face of new challenges, such as appropriate legal responses to digitisation and new technologies; relations between developed and developing worlds; the relationship between different legal traditions in a world of increasingly shared international norms; and the relationship between intellectual property rights and other areas of law, such as contract and criminal law.

One of the common themes in recent public debate has been the law's inability to accommodate the new ways of creating, distributing and replicating intellectual products. In this book the authors argue that in order to understand many of the problems currently confronting the law, it is necessary to understand its past. This is its first detailed historical account. In this book the authors explore two related themes. First, they explain why intellectual property law came to take its now familiar shape with sub-categories of patents, copyright, designs and trade marks. Secondly, the authors set out to explain how it is that the law grants property status to intangibles. In doing so they explore the rise and fall of creativity as an organising concept in intellectual property law, the mimetic nature of intellectual property law and the important role that the registration process plays in shaping intangible property.

Intellectual Property Law is the definitive textbook on the subject. The authors' all-embracing approach not only clearly sets out the law in relation to copyright, patents, trade marks, passing off, and confidentiality, but also takes account of a wide range of academic opinion enabling readers to explore and make informed judgements about key principles. The particularly clear and lively writing style ensures that even the most complex areas are lucid and comprehensible. Digital formats and resources The sixth edition is available for students and institutions to purchase in a variety of formats, and is supported by online resources. The e-book offers a mobile experience and convenient access along with functionality tools, navigation features and links that offer extra learning support: www.oxfordtextbooks.co.uk/ebooks

One of the common themes in recent public debate has been the law's inability to accommodate the new ways of creating, distributing and replicating intellectual products. In this book the authors argue that in order to understand many of the problems currently confronting the law, it is necessary to understand its past. This is its first detailed historical account. In this book the authors explore two related themes. First, they explain why intellectual property law came to take its now familiar shape with sub-categories of patents, copyright, designs and trade marks. Secondly, the authors set out to explain how it is that the law grants property status to intangibles. In doing so they explore the rise and fall of creativity as an organising concept in intellectual property law, the mimetic nature of intellectual property law and the important role that the registration process plays in shaping intangible property.

Developments in trade marks law have called into question a variety of basic features, as well as bolder extensions, of legal protection. Other disciplines can help us think about fundamental issues such as: what is a trade mark? What does it do? What should be the scope of its protection? This 2008 volume assembles essays examining trade marks and brands from a multiplicity of fields: from business history, marketing, linguistics, legal history, philosophy, sociology and geography. Each chapter pairs lawyers' and non-lawyers' perspectives, so that each commentator addresses and critiques his or her counterpart's analysis. The perspectives of non-legal fields are intended to enrich legal academics' and practitioners' reflections about trade marks, and to expose lawyers, judges and policy-makers to ideas, concepts and methods that could prove to be of particular importance in the development of positive law.

Intellectual property law is a subject of increasing economic importance and the focus of a great deal of legislative activity at an international and regional level. This 2004 collection brings together contributions from some of the most distinguished scholars in this exciting and controversial field, covering the full breadth of intellectual property law, that is, patents, copyright, trade marks and related rights. The contributions examine some of the most pressing practical and theoretical concerns which intellectual property lawyers face. These include: expanding the boundaries of IP in the face of new challenges, such as appropriate legal responses to digitisation and new technologies; relations between developed and developing worlds; the relationship between different legal traditions in a world of increasingly shared international norms; and the relationship between intellectual property rights and other areas of law, such as contract and criminal law.

Francis Gurry's renowned work, Breach of Confidence, published in 1984, was groundbreaking and invaluable in the field of intellectual property as the first text to synthesise the then burgeoning case law on breach of confidence into a systematic form. A highly regarded book, it was the first point of resort for practitioners and a key source for judges.
Aplin, Bently, Johnson, and Malynicz bring us a new edition of this important work, which remains faithful to the original in its approach, but is fully updated in light of the developments since the first edition. The authors expand upon the original work, in particular adding new material on the history and current relevance of the action for breach of confidence. The authors stress both the advantages and disadvantages of the action for breach of confidence and, like Gurry, they constantly distinguish the action from associated legislative regimes which regulate the access to, acquisition, use and disclosure of information. The book extensively references the many analyses of the data protection regime and considers also issues of jurisdiction and choice of applicable law.
Bringing together their particular skills and interests, the three authors produce a fresh re-writing of a highly significant text which retains the academic quality and precision of the original and stakes its claim once more as the leading authority in the field.

What can and can't be copied is a matter of law, but also of aesthetics, culture, and economics. The act of copying, and the creation and transaction of rights relating to it, evokes fundamental notions of communication and censorship, of authorship and ownership - of privilege and property. This volume conceives a new history of copyright law that has its roots in a wide range of norms and practices. The essays reach back to the very material world of craftsmanship and mechanical inventions of Renaissance Italy where, in 1469, the German master printer Johannes of Speyer obtained a five-year exclusive privilege to print in Venice and its dominions. Along the intellectual journey that follows, we encounter John Milton who, in his 1644 Areopagitica speech 'For the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing', accuses the English parliament of having been deceived by the 'fraud of some old patentees and monopolizers in the trade of bookselling' (i.e. the London Stationers' Company). Later revisionary essays investigate the regulation of the printing press in the North American colonies as a provincial and somewhat crude version of European precedents, and how, in the revolutionary France of 1789, the subtle balance that the royal decrees had established between the interests of the author, the bookseller, and the public, was shattered by the abolition of the privilege system. Contributions also address the specific evolution of rights associated with the visual and performing arts. These essays provide essential reading for anybody interested in copyright, intellectual history and current public policy choices in intellectual property. The volume is a companion to the digital archive Primary Sources on Copyright (1450-1900), funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRe: www.copyrighthistory.org.