Although supplying spare and replacement parts and providing repair services form the basis of many legitimate businesses, many manufacturing enterprises seek to augment the competitive advantage realized at the market stage of selling their main products by attempting to monopolize the market for spares, repairs and refills. Increasingly, companies are using intellectual property laws to devise up-front business strategies to gain exclusive rights in the components of their products. This is the first in-depth analysis of the law in this relatively new and rapidly developing area of practice. It sheds clear light on the conflicting interests of manufacturers, consumers, spare parts makers and the general public; explores the extent to which this kind of business strategy can be more or less successful with respect to the different rights involved, and in different jurisdictions; and highlights the competition issues that inevitably arise. The essays included are revised and updated versions of papers presented at the seventh (2006) of the innovative IP conference organized annually by the Macau Institute of European Studies (IEEM) on intellectual property law and the economic challenges for Asia. Among the topics and issues covered are the following: ; notions of and‘repairand’ and and‘recycleand’ and their legal effects; the limits of IP rights in relation to repair and recycle; legal limits of end user licence agreements (EULAs) and technological protection measures (TPMs); patent exhaustion on repair and recycling; alteration of product and‘identityand’; the concept of and‘indirectand’ or and‘contributoryand’ infringement; design law strategies; and secondary market definitions. The authors give detailed attention to cases in various jurisdictions that have guided and continue to guide business strategies in the field. Jurisdictions treated include the EU, the US, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea. In its clarification of the limits and possibilities of business strategies in this area of competition that is just beginning to attract attention, this book will be of great value not only to intellectual property law practitioners but to business people in nearly any field of production, especially where cross-border marketing is involved.

This publication examines the legal aspects of the spare parts market from an IP perspective: specifically whether design protection for spare parts of a complex product extends to the spare part aftermarket, or whether that market should remain open to competition. The stakeholders’ equally weighty arguments that must be balanced against are, on the one hand, the property interest in an earned IP right in the design of the part; and on the other, enhanced competition, likely reflected in lower prices. The mounting tension between these two positions is manifest an increased number of lawsuits in both the US and the EU. This book provides a discussion of the legal issues involved in this debate from a global perspective, with special focus on the EU and the US. Part I contextualizes the legal debate by discussing the historical background, the competitive situation and the respective stakeholder positions. Part II examines the relevant legal questions on a comparative basis, evaluating the likelihood of its adoption in the jurisdictions examined. Concluding that adoption is unlikely, Part III proposes a number of possible considerations meant to further compromise. Part IV concludes with a future outlook, specifically in light of the impact of technological development on this market.

With this publication, WIPO and the author aim at making available for judges, lawyers and law enforcement officials a valuable tool for the handling of intellectual property cases. To that effect, the case book uses carefully selected court decisions drawn from various countries with either civil or common law traditions. The extracts from the decisions and accompanying comments illustrate the different areas of intellectual property law, with an emphasis on matters that typically arise in connection with the enforcement of intellectual property rights in civil as well as criminal proceedings.

19. Counterfeiting and the music industry: towards a criminalization of end users? The French 'HADOPI' exampleIndex.

This significantly revised and updated second edition addresses the rapid development of EU copyright law in relation to the advancement of new technologies, the need for a borderless digital market and the considerable number of EU legal instruments enacted as a result. Taking a comparative approach, the Commentary provides comprehensive coverage and in-depth commentary on each of the EU legal instruments and policies, both from an EU and an international perspective. Alongside full legislative analysis and article-by-article commentary, the Commentary illustrates the underlying basic principles of free movement and non-discrimination and provides insights into the influence of copyright on other areas of EU policy, including telecoms and bilateral trade agreements.

Japanese Patent Law Cases and Comments Edited by Christopher Heath & Atsuhiro Furuta About the Editors: Christopher Heath is a judge at the European Patent Office and former head of the Max Planck Institute’s Asian Department. Atsuhiro Furuta is an administrative judge at the Japanese Patent Office. He graduated with a Master’s in Physics from the University of Tokyo and for two years was a guest researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Patent, Copyright and Competition Law in Munich. About this book: Japanese Patent Law is the first comprehensive work in English on all aspects of Japanese patent law presenting 66 cases with expert explanatory comments from academics, attorneys, judges and Japanese Patent Office officials. While not a common law jurisdiction, Japanese patent law in the past 20 years has been shaped by landmark decisions of the Supreme Court and, since 2005, the IP High Court. Approaching Japanese patent law via landmark decisions is arguably the most comprehensive manner of understanding the subject matter. Many of the cases appear in English for the first time. What’s in this book: Following an informative introduction explaining the economic importance of the patent system for Japan, the cases cover such specific issues as the following: definition of an invention; assessment of prior art, novelty and inventive step; rights of co-inventors; disclaimers, corrections and amendments; scope and limits of patent protection; distinction between repair and reconstruction; doctrine of equivalents; domestic and international jurisdiction in patent matters; interim proceedings and measures; defence of invalidity; damage calculation; patent term extension system; and utility models. Each case commentary follows a uniform structure, including background, summary of the facts, analysis and comparative remarks. The latter allows the reader to put developments in Japan in an international context. How this will help you: With the wealth of knowledge it makes available – leading Japanese patent cases in English translation, comparative case commentaries by leading experts on Japanese patent law, comprehensive analytical coverage of all aspects of Japanese patent law and coverage of related fields such as licensing, antitrust and civil procedure – this easy-to-use book will be warmly welcomed by patent attorneys and other practitioners (including Japanese patent practitioners advising foreign clients), patent academics and patent offices worldwide.

When the TRIPS Agreement was concluded in 1994, many saw it as embodying a new gold standard of intellectual property protection that not only reformed the Paris and Berne Conventions but also made further IP agreements unnecessary. Although this optimistic vision has eroded – obligations to protect IP rights can now be found in trade agreements and can be enforced before domestic courts and investor–state tribunals – the Agreement continues to pervade trends and developments in international law, not only in IP but in trade law also. This comprehensive commentary on the past, present, and future of the Agreement focuses on its influence on key topics in IP as well as on enforcement and dispute resolution. The editors have assembled a group of renowned IP law practitioners and academics who, taking each area of IP law, in turn, show the extent to which TRIPS provisions have survived, expanded, or been supplanted by other bodies. Their analysis covers the different IP rights addressed in the TRIPS Agreement (copyrights; trade marks; geographical indications; patents; data protection and enforcement) both in historical perspective and in their development in the last 25 years. An additional three chapters cover: most-favoured-nation obligations in regard of subsequent free trade agreements; how societal interests alter the interpretation of TRIPS obligations; the judicial role in the WTO panels and Appellate Body; minimum standards and reduction of flexibilities in IP policy; relationship of WTO/TRIPS with other international agreements. As intellectual property becomes more pervasive in society than ever before – and as both technology related to the use of IP and the way protected works are consumed have changed beyond recognition over the past 25 years – jurists, academics, and practitioners in IP and trade law will welcome this unique opportunity to test the true scope of national sovereignty in the interpretation of intellectual property rights.

The convergence of various fields of technology is changing the fabric of society. Big data and data mining, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and blockchains are already affecting business models and leading to a social and economic transformations that have been dubbed by the fourth industrial revolution. Focusing on the framework of intellectual property rights, the contributions to this book analyse how the technical background of this massive transformation affects intellectual property law and policy and how intellectual property is likely to change in order to serve the society. Well-known authorities in intellectual property law offer in-depth chapters on the roles in this revolution of such concepts and actualities as the following: power and role of data as the raw material of the revolution; artificial inventors and creators; trade marks in the dimension of avatars and fictional game characters; concept of inventive step change where the person skilled in the art is virtual; data rights versus intellectual property rights; transparency in the context of big data; interrelations of data, technology transfer and antitrust; self-executable and ‘smart’ contracts; redefining the balance among exclusive rights, development, technology transfer and contracts; and proprietary information versus the public domain. The chapters also provide complete analyses of how big data changes decision-making processes, how sustainable development requires redefinition, how technology transfer is re-emerging as technology diffusion and how the role of contracts and blockchain as instruments of monitoring and enforcement are being defined. Offering the first in-depth legal commentary and analysis of this highly topical issue, the book approaches the fourth industrial revolution from the perspectives of technical background, society and law. Its authoritative analysis of how the data-driven economy influences innovation and technology transfer is without peer. It will be welcomed by practicing lawyers in intellectual property rights and competition law, as well as by academics, think tanks and policymakers.

'This clearly-written and comprehensive text, by two leading scholars of European intellectual property law, is extremely adaptable. It is a perfect platform for classroom teaching, and is also a fine resource for those researching in what is becoming an increasingly complex field.' – Graeme B. Dinwoodie, University of Oxford, UK 'This hybrid volume, part commentary, part primary sources, with questions to stimulate further thinking, serves both as a teaching tool and as a manual for lawyers who seek a comprehensive overview of EU intellectual property law. The book aims at a generalist legal audience, with very a helpful précis of international law, including the major multilateral treaties, as well as a summary of the EU legal framework that non-Europeans will find highly useful. The authors explore the full range of traditional and emerging IP rights. They also provide in-depth analysis of remedies and of the international private law issues that increasingly arise in contemporary complex IP litigation.' – Jane Ginsburg, Columbia Law School, US The first of its kind, this textbook has been carefully designed to give students and non-specialist practitioners a clear understanding of the fundamentals of European intellectual property law. Providing a comprehensive overview of both community IP rights, and areas of IP law that have been harmonised, and supported by judicious use of extracts from the most significant source material, the book assists the reader in navigating through the increasingly complex European IP system. European Intellectual Property Law deals with European patent, trade mark and copyright law copyright, as well as with adjacent areas such as protection of plant varieties, geographical indications, industrial design, competition law, enforcement, and private international law, with a focus on the most relevant case law to be found in those areas. Key Features: • Written by two of the leading authorities in European IP law • Concise and readable style • Extracts from key source material • Questions designed to stimulate thinking around legal problems • Coverage of related areas adjacent to IP • Offers an overview on international IP protection and the interrelation between European law and IP law in general. This detailed book is designed for all courses on European intellectual property, whether basic or advanced, as well as for practitioners looking for a comprehensive and concise overview on the structure and content of European IP law.