Over the past decade, the scope of copyright and patent law has grown significantly, strengthening property rights, even when such rights seem to infringe upon other, more basic, priorities. This book investigates the ways in which activists, scholars, and communities are resisting the expansion of copyright and patent law in the information age. Debora J. Halbert explores how an alternative framework for understanding intellectual property - including about how we ought to think about the issues, the development of social movements around specific issues, and civil disobedience - has developed. Each chapter in the book discusses how resistance is developing in relation to a particular copyright or patent issue such as: access to patented medication access to copyrighted information and music via the Internet the patenting of genetic material. This controversial book examines the ways in which the idea of intellectual property is being re-thought by the victims of an over-expansive legal system. It will appeal to students and researchers from a range of disciplines, from law and political science to computer science, with an interest in intellectual property.
This book explores a provocative area of inquiry for critical theory and research into world politics and popular culture: music. Not just because political science barely engages with anything musical, but also because it is clear that many opportunities for critical scholarship and reflection on global politics and economics are present in the spaces and relationships created by organized sound. It is easy to focus on the textual elements of music, but there is more at stake than just the words. Critical reflection on the intersections between music and politics also need to take into account the visceral and non-verbal elements such as counterpoint and harmony, polyphony and dissonance, noise, rhymes, rhythms, performance and the visual/aural dimensions to music-making.
Developments and Directions in Intellectual Property Law celebrates the 20th anniversary of award-winning intellectual property (IP) blog, The IPKat, originally founded in 2003. Over the past two decades, The IPKat has covered and commented on several of the most topical developments in the IP field from substantive, practical, and policy standpoints. Today, The IPKat is considered the “Most Popular Intellectual Property Law Blawg” of all time (source: Justia) and its readers are academics, members of the judiciary, policy and law-makers, practitioners, and students from all over the world. By bringing together several of the current and past contributors to The IPKat, this book reflects on the developments and directions that have emerged in the IP field over the past twenty years. Topics covered include changes within substantive IP rights, as well as IP law, policy, and practice broadly intended and from a global perspective. From copyright to trade marks, patents to designs, image and publicity rights to geographical indications, and developments in IP practice and the court system to contract drafting, readers of this book will find expert insights into some of the most notable developments in IP since the inception of The IPKat blog.
This book discusses the economics of the music industry in the context of the changing landscape brought about by innovation, technological change, and rapid digitization. The ability of digital technology to reduce the transaction costs of music copyright licensing has all but destroyed the traditional media business models of incumbent Performance Rights Organizations (PROs), music publishers, record labels, and radio and television stations. In a climate where streaming services are rapidly proliferating and consumers prefer subscription models over direct ownership, new business models, such as direct licensing, are developing. This book provides an overview of the economics of the traditional music industry, the technology-induced changes in business models and copyright law, and the role of publishers, copyright holders and songwriters in the emerging direct licensing model. In Part One, the author examines the economic aspects of direct licensing as an alternative to the traditional blanket license for copyrighted musical compositions, with an emphasis on the often monopolistic nature of PROs. In Part Two, the author focuses on the music publisher and the role direct licensing and competition may play in the changing business models in the music industry and the potential benefits this may bring to copyright holders, such as songwriters. To compliment this model, the author proposes a maximum statutory fixed-rate for musical performances to further streamline the royalty process, especially where distributors such as Google and YouTube are concerned. This book adds to the growing body of literature on the economics of music licensing in the digital age. It will be useful to those in the fields of economics and law, as well as music executives, musicians, songwriters, composers, and other industry professionals who are interested in understanding how technology, innovation and competition have reshaped the music industry.