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.

This book brings famous cases to life by telling the true, never-heard-before stories behind landmark Intellectual Property cases. It is organized into six chapters, each drawing on cases in patents, copyrights, trademarks, or unfair competition, to illustrate the problems encountered in intellectual property law. The works, inventions, and marks at issue in these cases vary widely.

There have been a number of important developments in U.S. intellectual property law since the second edition of Understanding Intellectual Property Law was published. Foremost among them was the adoption, in September 2011, of the America Invents Act, the most significant change to U.S. patent law since the 1952 Patent Act. Coverage of the new Act includes: (1) the first inventor to file system and its effects on the definition of prior art; (2) the new derivation proceedings, replacing the current system of interferences, which allows a patent owner to challenge an earlier filed patent for derivation from the subsequent patent; (3) the prior commercial use defense; (4) the new procedures for inter partes review; (5) the new procedure for post-grant review; (6) the new rules for improper patent marking: (7) changes to the treatment of tax method patents; (8) the new rules pertaining to the best mode requirement; and (9) changes to the rules of jurisdiction. The Supreme Court has been unusually active in reviewing intellectual property cases during the past four years. During that period, it has reviewed and decided 15 patent cases (including three cases on patentable subject matter), four copyright cases, and four trademark or false advertising cases. In addition, the federal Courts of Appeals have decided more than 750 patent cases, 250 copyright cases, and 400 trademark and false advertising cases during that time. Understanding Intellectual Property Law, 3rd Edition covers all of the intellectual property areas and issues likely to be addressed in an intellectual property survey course. Chapter 1 provides a comprehensive introduction.

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.

Landmark Cases in Defamation Law is a diverse and engaging edited collection that brings together eminent scholars from the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand to analyse cases of enduring significance to defamation law. The cases selected have all had a significant impact on defamation law, not only in the jurisdiction in which they were decided but internationally. Given the formative influence of English defamation law in the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, the focus is predominantly on English cases, although decisions of the United States and Australia are also included in the collection. The authors all naturally share a common interest in defamation law but bring different expertise and emphasis to their respective chapters. Among the authors are specialists in tort law, legal history and internet law. The cases selected cover all aspects of defamation law, including defamatory capacity and meaning; practice and procedure; defences; and remedies.

Landmark Cases in Property Law explores the development of basic principles of property law in leading cases. Each chapter considers a case on land, personal property or intangibles, discussing what that case contributes to the dominant themes of property jurisprudence – How are property rights acquired? What is the content of property rights? What are the limits or boundaries of property? How are property rights extinguished? Individually and collectively, the chapters identify a number of important themes for the doctrinal development of property institutions and their broader justification. These themes include: the obscure and incremental development of seemingly foundational principles, the role of instrumentalism in property reasoning, the influence of the law of tort on the scope of property doctrines, and the impact of Roman legal reasoning on the common law of property. One or more of these themes (and others) is revealed through careful case analysis in each chapter, and they are collected and critically explored in the editors' introductions. This makes for a coherent and provocative collection, and ensures that Landmark Cases in Property Law will be lively and essential reading for scholars, practitioners, and all those interested in the development of property principles at law.