International Copyright is an indispensable reference work for professionals involved with international intellectual property transactions or litigation. It is essential reading for scholars and for intellectual property practitioners worldwide. This edition provides new sections on contributory liability of intermediaries and on collective rights management.
The aim of this Guide is to present, as simply and clearly as possible, the contents of the Berne Convention and to provide a number of explanations as to its nature, aims and scope.
In a world where powerful intermediaries like Google and Facebook are de facto regulators of the communication of copyright-protected works, the democratization of access to content has both substantially expanded the availability of new markets and dramatically increased copyright infringements. Does this mean that the long-sought ideal of a "universal" copyright regulation, which would harmoniously combine effective protection of intellectual creations with public interest goals, is a lost cause? Taken together, the contributions to this insightful and thoroughly researched book suggest that despite the prevailing labyrinthine mosaic of divergent national responses to fragmentation at international level, the foundations of a universal approach can be found in the interaction of regional, national and international copyright law instruments when responding to current and emerging technologies. Emphasizing the adaptation of copyright law to the needs of the information society, this volume provides critical approaches by leading copyright scholars on whether pluralism or universalism is the appropriate path to follow for the development of international copyright law. The authors deal with such issues and topics as the following: the application of core copyright law principles worldwide; authorship, rights and exceptions in the international copyright acquis; Internet copyright enforcement; global collective management of copyright; copyright contracts; database and design rights; intermediary liability; the global reach of the U.S. Fair Use doctrine; World Intellectual Property Organization's role and strategy in international copyright lawmaking; and bilateral trade and investment agreements involving copyright. Specific evolutions and emerging trends in national and regional digital copyright laws are analyzed and assessed as they have developed in the European Union, the United States, Canada and Australia, as well as in several Asian and African countries. Throughout, attention is paid to compatibility with the Berne Convention, the perceived core of copyright law in the international copyright acquis, and the key question of the balancing of copyright law with fundamental rights from an international and comparative law perspective. As a comprehensive analysis of how core copyright law concepts and principles function in today's fragmented copyright legal system, this book has no peers. Its detailed treatment of numerous specific instruments and regimes, as well as its insightful approaches to the future of international copyright lawmaking, will prove of immeasurable value to lawyers, judges, policy makers, academics and researchers working in the field of copyright law.
This booklet provides an introduction for newcomers to the subject of copyright and related rights. It explains the fundamentals underpinning copyright law and practice, and describes the different types of rights which copyright and related rights law protects, as well as the limitations on those rights. It also briefly covers transfer of copyright and provisions for enforcement.
First signed in 1886, the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works is still the cornerstone of international copyright law. Set against the backdrop of Canada's development from a British colony into a middle power, this book reveals the deep roots of conflict in the international copyright system and argues that Canada's signing of the convention can be viewed in the context of a former British colony's efforts to find a place on the world stage. In this groundbreaking book, Sara Bannerman examines Canada's struggle for copyright sovereignty and explores some of the problems rooted in imperial and international copyright that affect Canadians to this day.
A comprehensive commentary on the international framework concerned with the protection of copyright and neighbouring rights. The focal point of this commentary is the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works 1886, but the treatment extends beyond to the related conventions that have grown out of, or are based on, Berne.