Copyright Future Copyright Freedom

If copyright law does not liberate us from restrictions on the dissemination of knowledge, if it does not encourage expressive freedom, what is its purpose?

The presence of a robust public domain is an essential precondition for cultural, social and economic development and for a healthy democratic process. But the public domain is under pressure as a result of the ongoing march towards an information economy. Items of information, which in the `old economy had little or no economic value, such as factual data, personal data, genetic information and pure ideas, have acquired independent economic value in the current information age, and consequently become the object of property rights making the information a tradable commodity. How and to what extent does the commodification of information affect the free flow of information and the integrity of the public domain? Does the freedom of expression and information, guaranteed inter alia in the European Convention on Human Rights, call for active state intervention to `save the public domain? What means both legal and practical are available or might be conceived to guarantee and foster a robust public domain? These were the main questions that were addressed in a major collaborative research project led by the Institute for Information Law of the University of Amsterdam (IViR) in co-operation with the Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology and Society (TILT) of Tilburg University, and funded by ITeR, the Dutch National Program for Information Technology and Law. Thirteen contributions from academia worldwide make up the present book, addressing the future of the public domain from a different angle. In addition, all authors were invited to reflect upon the notion and role of the public domain in the context of information law and policy. Should this concept be limited to that of a `negative image of (intellectual) property protection, i.e. all publicly available information not subject to a property right, and therefore freely (i.e. gratis) available, or should a broader approach be taken, e.g. all information available from public sources at affordable cost? Should information policies be aimed at maximizing the public domain or optimizing information flows? To what extent are these aims congruent? This book takes a broader, `information law oriented approach towards the question of preserving the public domain, in which a wide range of interrelated legal questions converge. Issues treated in this book include: Economic analysis of the public domain Fundamental rights analysis of the public domain Impact of the application of technological protection measures and contractual restrictions on the public domain The impact of the expansion of copyright, database right and patent rights on the public domain The impact of the commodification of private data, government information, indigenous knowledge on the public domain The capacity of the Open Source and Creative Commons Movements to preserve the integrity of the public domain The Future of the Public Domain is an important work for all those interested or involved in the regulation of the knowledge economy. Legal scholars, academic and research institutions, corporate counsel, lawyers, government policymakers and regulators all these and more will benefit enormously from the thoughtful and incisive discussions presented here.

This accessible new book delivers in two key areas: first, a new way of thinking about copyright reform in countries which are engaged in the modernization of their copyright laws; and second, a new international approach to copyright regulation in the era of globalization. This volume draws specific attention to a number of special policy concerns which should inform post-socialist reform. These include the encouragement of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship, the role of intellectual property in post-socialist modernization, the protection of cultural heritage and minority rights, and the close relationship between recognition of authors’ rights and the protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms. While these policy issues are generally important to intellectual property regulation, they are of special concern in the post-authoritarian context. This highly readable book will interest students and academics involved with copyright and intellectual property law and well as transitional studies.

. . . an important contribution to the study of EU copyright law. It provides a good overview of different aspects of copyright law in the European Union and comprises a prevailing guide which undoubtedly will be of great use to both academics and practitioners. Ghufran Sukkaryeh, European Intellectual Property Review Estelle Derclaye s book is indeed a Handbook on EU copyright law, since practically every aspect of copyright law is examined through the lens of EU law by foremost European specialists. But it goes further than providing an understanding of what has been and ought to be happening in EU copyright law: each chapter can touch a raw nerve in the copyright law of any country in the world. Rarely has it been so obvious that EU copyright law can be considered a laboratory for copyright law in general. Ysolde Gendreau, Université de Montréal, Canada It has been over fifteen years since the EU started harmonising copyright law. This original Handbook takes stock and questions what the future of EU copyright should be. What went wrong with the harmonisation acquis? What did the directives do well? Should copyright be further harmonised? Each of the 25 recognised copyright experts from different European countries gives a critical account of the EU harmonisation carried out on several aspects of copyright law (subject-matter, originality, duration, rights, defences etc.), and asks whether further harmonisation is desirable or not. This way, the Handbook not only gives guidance to European institutions as to what remains to be done or needs to be remedied but is also the first overall picture of current and future EU copyright law. This Handbook will be of great interest to academics and intellectual property lawyers, as well as general commercial lawyers, across Europe because it reviews European directives in the field of copyright and also the relationships between copyright and other laws. Policymakers will also find much to interest them in the discussions regarding the future of EU copyright law and the proposed amendments to the existing legal framework.

'This is an exceptional collection of scholarly contemporary thoughts on the future directions of copyright law. . . The contributors to this volume come from many jurisdictions and bring with them their respective rich backgrounds and experiences in copyright law. The result is an enlightening collection of papers.' - Yee Fen Lim, Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice

This accessible new book delivers in two key areas: first, a new way of thinking about copyright reform in countries which are engaged in the modernization of their copyright laws; and second, a new international approach to copyright regulation in the era of globalization. This volume draws specific attention to a number of special policy concerns which should inform post-socialist reform. These include the encouragement of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship, the role of intellectual property in post-socialist modernization, the protection of cultural heritage and minority rights, and the close relationship between recognition of authors' rights and the protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms. While these policy issues are generally important to intellectual property regulation, they are of special concern in the post-authoritarian context. This highly readable book will interest students and academics involved with copyright and intellectual property law and well as transitional studies.

The Internet revolution has come. Some say it has gone. In The Future of Ideas, Lawrence Lessig explains how the revolution has produced a counterrevolution of potentially devastating power and effect. Creativity once flourished because the Net protected a commons on which widest range of innovators could experiment. But now, manipulating the law for their own purposes, corporations have established themselves as virtual gatekeepers of the Net while Congress, in the pockets of media magnates, has rewritten copyright and patent laws to stifle creativity and progress. Lessig weaves the history of technology and its relevant laws to make a lucid and accessible case to protect the sanctity of intellectual freedom. He shows how the door to a future of ideas is being shut just as technology is creating extraordinary possibilities that have implications for all of us. Vital, eloquent, judicious and forthright, The Future of Ideas is a call to arms that we can ill afford to ignore.

The book includes: viable restatements of the rationales of copyright protection for the emerging IP environment; new insights into the relationship between copyright protection and copyright limitations; in-depth explanation of the structure and functioning of the three-step test; detailed interpretations of each criterion of the test; discussion of the two WTO panelreports dealing with the test; a proposal for the further improvement of the copyright system and the international rules governing copyright law; detailed information about international conference material concerning the test; and discussion of potential future trends in copyright law. The author provides many examples that demonstrate the test's impact on different types of limitations, such as private use privileges and the U.S. fair use doctrine. He explains the test's role in the European Copyright Directive.