intellectual property

Free Culture

Website devoted to the book 'Free Culture: How Big Media Uses Technology and the Law to Lock Down Culture and Control Creativity' by Professor Lawrence Lessig of Stanford Law School. Published in 2004, it is available here under a Creative Commons licence. The book covers the effect of the internet on commercial and non-commercial culture and the increasing regulation that comes with the digitisation of culture. There are sections looking at the concepts of piracy and property and a discussion of the Eldred v. Ashcroft case with which Prof. Lessig was involved.

Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management

Website of the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management (CIPPM) at Bournemouth University, which .carries out postgraduate teaching, policy research and consultancy, with a particular focus on IP aspects of the creative sector and new technology. The CIPPM / Jean Monnet Working Papers series is available on the site, together with abstracts of the Centre's other publications. The Tools section includes the Observatory on DSM Directive Exceptions  & Limitations. Details of courses, research projects and events are also provided.

Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions

This section of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) website provides information on the protection of indigenous peoples' traditional knowledge (TK), genetic resources (GR) and traditional cultural expressions (TCE). There are details of the work being undertaken to safeguard, record and digitize cultural heritage. Documentation and decisions from the conferences, meetings and seminars of the WIPO Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore are also provided.

Antique Rare IP Library e-Treatise Reading Room

Online collection of digitised intellectual property publications from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, on the website of the Franklin Pierce Law Center, an independent US law school. Around 250 items are available, in pdf format, on copyright, patents, trademarks or general IP law. The collection includes books, articles, speeches, laws, digests and judgments; the main focus is on the law of the UK and US, but some other jurisdictions are also covered. 

Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria

Official website of the Bulgarian Patent Office, with registers of patents, trade marks and geographical indications (et cetera) and a database of decisions. The 'IP Objects' page provides information about patents, designs, trade marks and related topics, including relevant legislation (in English). 'The official bulletin of the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria' is available, together with a collection of reports (all in Bulgarian) and there is an information page for SMEs.

Canada Patents, 1869-1919

Database of patents issued to Canadian residents and citizens between 1869 and 1919, provided by Library and Archives Canada. Over 190,000 digitised patents are available, searchable by patent number, patent holder, title, year and city, province or state. Results are displayed in summary format with links to the complete scanned image. The resource is available in either English or French.

Arts Law Centre of Australia

The Arts Law Centre of Australia is a national community legal centre. It provides legal and business advice and referral services, professional development resources and advocacy for artists and art organisations. Advice and information is given on matters including contracts, copyright, business names and structures, defamation, insurance and employment. Publications provided on the website include information sheets, the quarterly newsletter, ART+Law, and sample contracts and letters.

Out-Law.Com

Out-Law.Com is an IT and IP law website which provides guides, articles, legal news and sample forms for IT, new media and e-commerce companies. It is produced by international law firm Pinsent Masons. The online guides are grouped by business area, including consultancy, e-commerce, games and media. Specific guides within these groups cover issues such as branding, intellectual property, regulations and tax. The guides also feature articles and sample documents. 

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