This is a book dedicated to the significance and legacy of landmark cases in the field of intellectual property. Eleven well-known scholars offer in-depth commentary and analysis of cases that have made an impact on legal theory or critical thinking about the scope and purpose of the protection of intellectual and industrial creativity. All the cases covered have proven useful in developing doctrine, even though subsequent developments have made some appear and‘misleadingand’ rather than and‘leadingand’, and for some recent cases it is too early to say whether their approach will become mainstream. Among the fundamental questions and– all profoundly interesting, and to which no definite answers have yet been found and– arising in the course of the analysis are the following: and• Who should be master over the reputation, esteem and legacy of authors and their works and– authors and their heirs, or subsequent copyright owners? and• What, if any, protection should be granted to achievements in the absence of confusion? and• Should prevention of unfair competition allow one to and‘reap what one has not sownand’? and• Should we protect commercial investment beyond the scope of defined intellectual property rights? and• Should it be considered a tort to use a well-known mark in a way that may dilute its repute and distinctive character? and• What kinds of monopolies should be protected, if any? and• Does the patent system in its current form allow us to question the assumption that technological progress is good per se, and that novel and inventive solutions should thus be protected? and• Should extraneous considerations such as public good and social usefulness be considered at the stages of grant and enforcement of patent rights? and• Should we grant patents over living organisms whose workings and reproduction are a long way from being completely understood? and• Should the rules developed for the enforcement of property rights limit a patenteeand’s remedies to appropriate damages, thereby effectively granting a compulsory licence? The book concludes with an analysis of two case clusters remarkable for the worldwide dimension of the dispute. The authors show how litigation over Lego in about 30 jurisdictions and Budweiser in over 40 jurisdictions has enriched doctrine on such issues as contract, trade marks, trade names, geographical indications, property rights in general, human rights, and various international and bilateral treaties, all as they impinge on the protection of intellectual property rights. For scholars in the field, as well as for lawyers seeking a rich vein of doctrine to buttress a case, this unusual book will be of incomparable value. As a masterful clarification of salient doctrine, it represents a major contribution to the legal theory underpinning intellectual property law.

This volume explores the nature of intellectual property law by looking at particular disputes. All the cases gathered here aim to show the versatile and unstable character of a discipline still searching for landmarks. Each contribution offers an opportunity to raise questions about the narratives that have shaped the discipline throughout its short but profound history. The volume begins by revisiting patent litigation to consider the impact of the Statute of Monopolies (1624). It continues looking at different controversies to describe how the existence of an author's right in literary property was a plausible basis for legal argument, even though no statute expressly mentioned authors' rights before the Statute of Anne (1710). The collection also explores different moments of historical significance for intellectual property law: the first trade mark injunctions; the difficulties the law faced when protecting maps; and the origins of originality in copyright law. Similarly, it considers the different ways of interpreting patent claims in the late nineteenth and twentieth century; the impact of seminal cases on passing off and the law of confidentiality; and more generally, the construction of intellectual property law and its branches in their interaction with new technologies and marketing developments. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the development of intellectual property law.

'It is no longer possible to practice, teach, or study purely domestic intellectual property law within Europe. European intellectual property norms now structure protection throughout the continent (and even beyond). Paradoxically, what might seem as a simplification of legal rules has created a maze of new complexities substantive, institutional and methodological. This collection by some of the leading scholars in European IP manages to capture that complexity without sacrificing clarity. Canvassing the entire field with a rich array of contributions, the book both highlights the roots of European IP law and asks important fundamental questions about where it is going. One can only hope that it is read by anyone with a hand in the future development of European IP law.' Graeme B. Dinwoodie, University of Oxford, UK 'Christophe Geiger has put together a very fine collection of essays by many of the very best scholars in European intellectual property law. The essays explore the basis, extent, as well as the successes and failings of regional harmonization of trade marks, geographical indications, copyright, designs, patents and remedies. The celebrated cast of authors naturally discuss, in addition to the various directives and regulations on each topic, the Treaty provisions on exhaustion of rights and competition (and their interpretation), relevant provisions on legislative competence, Article 17(2) of the Charter, other fundamental rights, and the growing case law of the Court of Justice. There is essential material here for anyone interested in European intellectual property law, as well as ideas for the improvement and further development of European IP law.' Lionel Bently, University of Cambridge, UK Constructing European Intellectual Property offers a comprehensive assessment of the current state of intellectual property legislation in Europe and gives direction on how an improved system might be achieved. This detailed study presents various perspectives on what further actions are necessary to provide the circumstances and tools for the construction of a truly balanced European intellectual property system. The book takes as its starting point that the ultimate aim of such a system should be to ensure sustainable and innovation-based economic growth while enhancing free circulation of ideas and cultural expressions. Being the first in the European Intellectual Property Institutes Network (EIPIN) series, this book lays down some concrete foundations for a deeper understanding of European intellectual property law and its complex interplay with other fields of jurisprudence as well as its impact on a broad array of spheres of social interaction. In so doing, it provides a well needed platform for further research. Academics, policymakers, lawyers and many others concerned with establishment of a regulatory framework for intangibles in the EU will benefit from the extensive and thoughtful discussion presented in this work.

"The relevance of intellectual property (IP) law has increased dramatically over the last several years. Globalization, digitization, and the rise of post-industrial information-based industries have all contributed to a new prominence of IP law as one of the most important factors in driving innovation and economic development. At the same time, the significant expansion of IP rules has impacted many areas of public policy such as public health, the environment, biodiversity, agriculture, information, in an unprecedented manner. The growing importance of IP law has led to an exponential growth of academic research in this area. This Book offers a comprehensive overview of the methods and approaches that can be used to address and develop scholarly research questions related to IP law. In particular, this Book aims to provide a useful resource that can be used by IP scholars who are interested in expanding their expertise in a specific research method or seek to acquire an understanding of alternative lenses that could be applied to their research. Even though this Book does not claim to include all existing research methodologies, it represents one of the largest and most diverse compilations, which has been carried out to date. In addition, the authors of this Book comprise an equally diverse group of scholars from different jurisdictions, backgrounds, and legal traditions. This diversity, both regarding the topics and the authors, is a fundamental feature of the Book, which seeks to assist IP scholars worldwide in their research journeys." --

International Intellectual Property: A Handbook of Contemporary Research provides researchers and practitioners of international intellectual property law with the necessary tools to understand the latest debates in this incredibly dynamic and complex

We live in an age in which expressive, informational, and technological subject matter are becoming increasingly important. Intellectual property is the primary means by which the law seeks to regulate such subject matter. It aims to promote innovation and creativity, and in doing so to support solutions to global environmental and health problems, as well as freedom of expression and democracy. It also seeks to stimulate economic growth and competition, accounting for its centrality to EU Internal Market and international trade and development policies. Additionally, it is of enormous and increasing importance to business. As a result there is a substantial and ever-growing interest in intellectual property law across all spheres of industry and social policy, including an interest in its legal principles, its social and normative foundations, and its place and operation in the political economy. This handbook written by leading academics and practitioners from the field of intellectual property law, and suitable for both a specialist legal readership and an intelligent but non-specialist legal and non-legal readership, provides a comprehensive account of the following areas: - The foundations of IP law, including its emergence and development in different jurisdictions and regions; - The substantive rules and principles of IP; and - Important issues arising from the existence and operation of IP in the political economy.

In an increasingly globalised world, place and provenance matter like never before. The law relating to Geographical Indications (GIs) regulates designations which signal this provenance. While Champagne, Prosciutto di Parma, Café de Colombia and Darjeeling are familiar designations, the relevant legal regimes have existed at the margins for over a century. In recent years, a critical mass of scholarship has emerged and this book celebrates its coming of age. Its objective is to facilitate an interdisciplinary conversation, by providing sure-footed guidance across contested terrain as well as enabling future avenues of enquiry to emerge. The distinctive feature of this volume is that it reflects a multi-disciplinary conversation between legal scholars, policy makers, legal practitioners, historians, geographers, sociologists, economists and anthropologists. Experienced contributors from across these domains have thematically explored: (1) the history and conceptual underpinnings of the GI as a legal category; (2) the effectiveness of international protection regimes; (3) the practical operation of domestic protection systems; and (4) long-unresolved as well as emerging critical issues. Specific topics include a detailed interrogation of the history and functions of terroir; the present state as well as future potential of international GI protection, including the Lisbon Agreement, 2015; conflicts between trade marks and GIs; the potential for GIs to contribute to rural or territorial development as well as sustain traditional or Indigenous knowledge; and the vexed question of generic use. This book is therefore intended for all those with an interest in GIs across a range of disciplinary backgrounds. Students, scholars, policy makers and practitioners will find this Handbook to be an invaluable resource.

The term ‘intellectual property’ has come to include numerous intangible rights beyond the traditional ‘Big Three’ (patent, trademark and copyright) – rights that force us to reconsider and maybe also change the object and purpose of intellectual property (IP). Not only do these rights generally have less solid normative footing and few if any well understood inherent limits, but the borders of their misappropriation are hard to draw. This groundbreaking book scrutinizes the existence of commonalities in this realm, and poses the question of what risks and advantages accrue to such IP or ‘IP-like’ rights. Sixteen distinguished contributors offer in-depth analyses of such rights as the following: - trade secrets; - image and publicity rights; - geographical indications; - traditional knowledge; - protection of databases; and - sports rights and ambush marketing. Recommendations and solutions investigated include the use of specialized courts or judges and of private standards. There are also thoughtful considerations of practices such as forum-shifting and an analysis of the special value of evolving Chinese law as a ‘norm laboratory’. Two chapters discuss the complexities of enforcement. Enforcement impacts substantive intellectual property and can be said to be its own ‘form’ of IP. Practitioners, judges, academics, and policymakers will all welcome this work and value it highly. Its contributors collectively take a giant step toward clarifying and synthesizing one of the most baffling areas of current law both internationally and at national level around the globe.

Christopher Heath is a judge at the Boards of Appeal of the European Patent Office and former researcher of the Max Planck Institute in Munich. Anselm Kamperman Sanders is Professor of Intellectual Property Law and Director of the IPKM Master’s Programme at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. About this book: Intellectual Property and International Dispute Resolution, the first in-depth treatment of the interface between intellectual property rights and international dispute resolution. The book highlights the different mechanisms of international dispute settlement, having particular regard to cases involving intellectual property law. Investor dispute tribunals, as provided for in many bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, are suspected of intransparency, because proceedings are not public, of unequal treatment, because they give foreign investors a right of action where domestic investors would have none, and of undermining democracy, because they allow democratically enacted laws to be challenged with no possibility of appeal. What’s in this book: In this important book, a number of prominent legal scholars and practitioners examine the extent to which challenges against domestic legislation based on an alleged direct or indirect expropriation of intellectual property rights may be justified. The contributions cover such aspects as: history and current practice of international dispute resolution; direct application of international agreements by national courts; comparison of investor dispute settlement tribunals with other fora such as the WTO or domestic courts for determining compliance with international intellectual property standards; what can be considered ‘investment’ and ‘expropriation’ in the field of intellectual property; legislative freedom to operate when limiting intellectual property rights, particularly in the field of health and safety; and how societal interests could influence future legislation in the field of intellectual property law. One major focus of the book are the challenges against tobacco plain packaging legislation before domestic and international courts and tribunals and their outcome. How this book will help you: The book’s detailed analysis of the nature of investor dispute tribunals and how they may conflict with public interests – and its exploration of possible alternatives – is sure to be of great interest to internationally operating companies, policymakers, practitioners and scholars in both international trade law and intellectual property law.

Intellectual Property Rights as Obstacles to Legitimate Trade helps to understand one of the underlying rationales of the TRIPS Agreement in light of some of the most pertinent IP issues. The WTO/TRIPS Agreement for the first time put IP rights in the context of trade rules, such as when does the exercise of IP rights become an unjustified burden to legitimate trade? Cases have arisen where IP rights are conferred, used, or enforced in a manner that arguably impedes trade, both in domestic and international contexts. This groundbreaking book is the first comprehensive assessment of this controversial area of trade law, shedding important new light on the underlying rationales of the TRIPS Agreement. With contributions by both practitioners and academics working in a range of countries, this book considers thorny issues in such areas as the following: – interpretation of ‘obstacles to legitimate trade’ in the context of GATT/ WTO jurisprudence; – separating markets by preventing parallel importation in the context of patents; – geoblocking – territorial separation of digital markets; – using trademarks to prevent competition; – geographical indications – protection of terms that are considered generic in certain domestic markets; – seizure of goods in transit; – ‘evergreening’ patents – attempts to extend the duration of patents; – rights to second-hand digital goods or content; – unjustified threats – towards appropriate standards of liability. Focusing on topical and under-researched areas of IP law, the contributors stimulate a discussion on an overarching concern that is not often addressed – how to assess whether the protection and enforcement of certain IP rights in particular situations should be classified as trade barriers. As an incisive analysis of the desirable balance between the exercise of IP rights and the demands of legitimate trade, this book will be welcomed by practitioners, lawmakers, policy advisers, and academics in both trade law and IP law.