Intellectual Property Law Commons^™

Three Questions That Will Make You Rethink The U.S.-China Intellectual Property Debate, 7 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 412 (2008), Peter K. Yu

Peter K. Yu

Commentators have attributed China’s piracy and counterfeiting problems to the lack of political will on the part of Chinese authorities. They have also cited the many political, social, economic, cultural, judicial, and technological problems that have arisen as a result of the country’s rapid economic transformation and accession to the WTO. This provocative essay advances a third explanation. It argues that the failure to resolve piracy and counterfeiting problems in China can be partly attributed to the lack of political will on the part of U.S. policymakers and the American public to put intellectual property protection at the very top …

The Confucian Challenge To Intellectual Property Reforms, Peter K. Yu

Peter K. Yu

Written for a special issue on intellectual property and culture, this essay examines the longstanding claim that culture presents a major barrier to intellectual property reforms. In the context of Asia -- China, in particular -- that claim invokes Confucianism, a non-Western culture, to account for the region's -- or the country's -- continued struggle with massive piracy and counterfeiting problems. The claim draws on a century-old tradition of condemning Confucianism for being antithetical to Western modernity.

The first half of this essay focuses on the Confucian challenge to intellectual property reforms in China. Drawing on the important distinction between …

From Pirates To Partners: Protecting Intellectual Property In China In The Twenty-First Century, Peter K. Yu

Peter K. Yu

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the United States repeatedly threatened China with a series of economic sanctions, trade wars, non-renewal of most-favored-nation status, and opposition to entry into the World Trade Organization. Such threats eventually led to compromises by the Chinese government and the signing of intellectual property agreements in 1992, 1995, and 1996. Despite these agreements, intellectual property piracy remains rampant in China.

Although China initially had serious concerns about the United States's threats of trade sanctions, the constant use of such threats by the U.S. government has led China to change its reaction and approach. By …

Building The Ladder: Three Decades Of Development Of The Chinese Patent System, Peter K. Yu

Peter K. Yu

In the past three decades, China has been very successful in developing its patent system. In 2012, the country is among the top five countries filing patent applications through the Patent Cooperation Treaty, behind only the United States, Japan and Germany. Among all the applicants, ZTE Corp. and Huawei Technologies had the largest and fourth largest number of PCT applications, respectively. With significant backing from the Chinese government and the anticipated involvement of the world's largest public sector, China will likely catch up with the existing intellectual property powers more quickly than many have anticipated.

Written for a special issue …

When The Chinese Intellectual Property System Hits 35, Peter K. Yu

Peter K. Yu

This article explores what it means for the Chinese intellectual property system to hit 35. It begins by briefly recapturing the system’s three phases of development. It discusses the system’s evolution from its birth all the way to the present. The article then explores three different meanings of a middle-aged Chinese intellectual property system – one for intellectual property reform, one for China, and one for the TRIPS Agreement and the global intellectual property community.

A Half-Century Of Scholarship On The Chinese Intellectual Property System, Peter K. Yu

Peter K. Yu

The first modern Chinese intellectual property law was established in August 1982, offering protection to trademarks. Since then, China adopted the Patent Law in 1984, the Copyright Law in 1990 and the Anti-Unfair Competition Law in 1993. In December 2001, China became a member of the World Trade Organization, assuming obligations under the TRIPS Agreement. In the past decade, the country has also actively participated in the negotiation of bilateral, regional and plurilateral trade agreements, including most notably the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

Today, the Chinese intellectual property system has garnered considerable global policy and scholarly attention. To help develop …

Customizing Fair Use Transplants, Peter K. Yu

Peter K. Yu

In the past decade, policymakers and commentators across the world have called for the introduction of copyright reform based on the fair use model in the United States. Thus far, Israel, Liberia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Taiwan have adopted the fair use regime or its close variants. Other jurisdictions such as Australia, Hong Kong and Ireland have also advanced proposals to facilitate such adoption.

Written for a special issue on "Intellectual Property Law in the New Technological Age: Rising to the Challenge of Change?", this article examines the increasing efforts to transplant fair use into …

The Second Coming Of Intellectual Property Rights In China, Peter K. Yu

Peter K. Yu

This Article traces the development of intellectual property rights in China since the country’s reopening in the late 1970s. Part I provides a brief history of the Chinese intellectual property system and examines the various intellectual property disputes between China and the United States in the late 1980s and the early 1990s. This Part argues that the contemporary Chinese intellectual property system was not developed until intellectual property rights reemerged in China in the late 1970s. Part II discusses the causes of the piracy and counterfeiting problem in China. By focusing on the significant political, social, economic, cultural, and ideological …

Submission In Response To Government Of India, Ministry Of Commerce, Circular No.Cg/Circular/2018/114 On Working Of Patents, Srividhya Ragavan

Srividhya Ragavan

Beyond The Destruction Of Syria: Considering A Future In Syria And The Protection Of The Right To Culture, 15 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 522 (2016), Sarah Dávila-Ruhaak

Sarah Dávila-Ruhaak

Although the right to culture has been widely recognized under international human rights, its reach and practical application has been limited in cultural preservation efforts. Individuals and communities that attempt to be part of the decision-making process in preservation efforts often face barriers to access in that process. The need to re-conceptualize the right to culture is vital for its protection and preservation. This article proposes that the right to self-determination must be utilized as a core fundamental principle that enables a disenfranchised individual or community to have ownership in preservation efforts and decide how to shape their identity. It …

Intellectual Property, Asian Philosophy And The Yin-Yang School, Peter K. Yu

Peter K. Yu

As an introduction to a special issue on intellectual property philosophy, this article focuses on insights from Asian thought. Such a focus is needed not only to provide balance within this special issue, which includes articles focusing primarily on Western philosophy, but also to highlight the compatibility between Asian philosophy and the notion of intellectual property rights. More importantly, this article aims to demonstrate that Asian philosophy may suggest new ways to address the ongoing and highly complex intellectual property challenges confronting emerging economies and the digital environment.

This article begins by providing a brief discussion of the many different …

Why K-Pop Will Continue To Dominate Social Media: Jenkins' Convergence Culture In Action, Keidra Chaney, Raizel Liebler

Raizel Liebler

La Insoportable Levedad Del Legislador Argentino En Materia De Derecho De Autor Digresiones Jurídico-Económicos En Torno Al Proyecto Legislativo Que Propone Extender La Duración De Las Obras Fotográficas, Maximiliano Marzetti

Maximiliano Marzetti

Este aporte tiene una doble finalidad, catártica y educativa. Por un lado quiero desahogarme al ver como la historia se repite: la vetusta ley de propiedad intelectual N° 11.723 sólo se retoca para extender privilegios económicos de un sector y no en beneficio del bien común. Por otro, continúo mi prédica para intentar convencer a colegas y legisladores para que se adentren en el fabuloso mundo de la multidisciplina. Necesitamos legisladores que sepan de derecho, economía y ciencias sociales, o al menos que sepan escuchar a quienes saben.

Adopting Subsequent Remuneration Right In Chinese Copyright Law, Xi Chen

Xi Chen

One heavily and contentiously argued clause in Chinese Copyright Law amendments drafts focuses on the practicality of granting authors of audiovisual works the legal right to collect subsequent remunerations (SRR), when their works are reused in subsequent exploitations.

With the rapid increase of media channels for the Chinese movie industry, and other entertainment industries relying on a heavy usage of audiovisual work, authors demand that they should be entitled to the profit earned from derivative markets and other media channel beyond the first intended market. In order to balance the conflicting interest between the author and the producer, and to …

International Trade V. Intellectual Property Lawyers: Globalization And The Brazilian Legal Profession, Vitor M. Dias

Vitor M. Dias

No abstract provided.

The Final Impression Counts - Seeking Common Ground In Design Patent Infringement, Dana Beldiman, Paolo Beconcini

Dana Beldiman

THE FINAL IMPRESSION COUNTS – Seeking Common Ground in Design Patent Infringement

Dana Beldiman*and Paolo Beconcini

Abstract

The visual appearance of products has become an asset of considerable economic value. Litigation surrounding it is increasingly common and has focused IP law on certain tensions that relate to the visual nature of IP assets.

One such area is design patent infringement. Policy mandates that comparison of two similar designs for purposes of evaluating infringement be performed by a notional purchaser, based on the overall impression of a design as whole. However, in performing the analysis courts are tempted to …

Moral Rights 2.0, Peter K. Yu

Peter K. Yu

When the protection of moral rights is brought up in the United States, commentators have always emphasized the differences between continental Europe and the United States.2 Cases that have been widely used as textbook illustrations include Soc. Le Chant de Monde v. Soc. Fox Europe3 and Turner Entertainment Co. v. Huston.4 While the Anglo-American copyright regime and the French author’s right (droit d’auteur) regime were quite similar in the eighteenth century, 5 the protection of moral rights did not attain formal international recognition until 1928.6 The gap between the U.S. and French systems has also grown considerably since the enactment …

The Rise And Decline Of The Intellectual Property Powers, Peter K. Yu

Peter K. Yu

In the past decade, China has experienced many impressive economic and technological developments. Intriguingly, the narrative about piracy and counterfeiting there is rarely linked to the narrative about the China's technological rise. To provide a more comprehensive picture, this article brings together these two different narratives to explore what their combination would mean for the United States and its intellectual property industries.

Delivered as the keynote luncheon address at the Symposium on "Applications of Intellectual Property Law in China," this article begins with the good news that China is at the cusp of crossing over from a pirating nation to …

Toward A Nonzero-Sum Approach To Resolving Global Intellectual Property Disputes: What Can We Learn From Mediators, Business Strategists, And International Relations Theorists, Peter K. Yu

Peter K. Yu

Countries differ in terms of their levels of wealth, economic structures, technological capabilities, political systems, and cultural tradition. No two countries have the same needs or goals. As a result, policymakers face different political pressures and make different value judgments as to what would best promote the creation and dissemination of intellectual works in their own countries. These uncoordinated judgments eventually result in a conflicting set of intellectual property laws around the world. As countries become increasingly interdependent in this globalized economy, these conflicting laws create tension and sometimes result in disputes. To minimize differences and prevent conflicts, countries use …

Sinic Trade Agreements, Peter K. Yu

Peter K. Yu

In the past decade, the European Union and the United States have pushed aggressively for the development of bilateral and regional trade agreements. What are the strengths and weaknesses of these agreements? Are China's bilateral and regional trade agreements different from these agreements? What are China's goals and negotiation strategies? What will happen if China's bilateral approach clashes with that of the European Union or the United States?

This Article begins by examining China's growing engagement with the less developed world, in particular Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. It analyzes the goals, strengths and weaknesses of EU economic partnership …

The Trust And Distrust Of Intellectual Property Rights, Peter K. Yu

Peter K. Yu

In the past, intellectual property issues were considered complex, obscure, and highly technical; they were only of interest and concern to intellectual property attorneys, legal scholars, technology developers, and rightsholders. Thanks to the Internet and new communications technologies, however, intellectual property has now begun to play a more significant role in society.

In December 2003, the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was held in Geneva. While the conference affirmed the importance of intellectual property rights and free access to information and knowledge, the resulting Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action fail to address …

Digital Copyright Reform And Legal Transplants In Hong Kong, Peter K. Yu

Peter K. Yu

Since the mid-1990s, countries have struggled to respond to copyright challenges created by the internet and new communications technologies. Although the law and policy debate in recent years has focused primarily on the entertainment industry’s aggressive tactics toward individual end-users, online service providers, and other third parties, a recent wave of legislative actions and lobbying efforts has rejuvenated the debate on the proper legal response to the digital copyright challenges.

Like many other jurisdictions, Hong Kong, in the past few years, has been busy exploring copyright law reform to respond to challenges created by the internet and new communications technologies. …

International And Comparative Aspects Of Trademark Dilution, Mark D. Janis, Peter K. Yu

Peter K. Yu

Extract:

In the United States, trademark antidilution protection is back—maybe. Proposed by Frank Schechter in the 1920s, adopted in various incarnations in some states over the next few decades, and ultimately introduced in a slightly different form in federal trademark law in 1995, the dilution provisions drew a cool reception in the courts. By the late 1990s, an increasingly restive judiciary was constraining the federal dilution provisions in various ways, most notably by requiring mark owners to prove actual dilution in order to establish liability, a requirement endorsed by the United States Supreme Court in Moseley v. V Secret Catalogue, …

Intellectual Property And Asian Values, Peter K. Yu

Peter K. Yu

From Niall Ferguson to Fareed Zakaria, commentators have paid growing attention to the rise of Asia and its implications for the West. Recent years have also seen the emergence of a growing volume of literature on intellectual property developments in Asia, in particular China and India. Few commentators, however, have explored whether Asian countries will take unified positions on international intellectual property law and policy.

Commissioned for the Inaugural International Intellectual Property Scholars Series, this article fills the void by examining intellectual property developments in relation to the decades-old 'Asian values' debate. Drawing on the region's diversity in economic and …

Piracy, Prejudice, And Perspectives: An Attempt To Use Shakespeare To Reconfigure The U.S.-China Intellectual Property Debate, Peter K. Yu

Peter K. Yu

Since the mid-1980s, the U.S.-China intellectual property conflict has entered into the public debate. It was frequently debated in Congress and was widely covered by the mass media. Despite the importance of this issue, the debate thus far has been one-sided, focusing primarily on the unfair competition aspect. While there are undeniably some greedy Chinese who are eager to free ride on the creative efforts of Western authors and inventors, greed alone cannot explain the century-old U.S.-China intellectual property conflict. To understand the roots of this conflict, one must focus on the significant political, social, economic and cultural differences between …

International Comparative Aspects Of Trademark Dilution, Mark D. Janis, Peter K. Yu

Peter K. Yu

No abstract provided.

Promises To Keep: American Views Of Developments In Chinese Copyright Law, 6 Software L.J. 273 (1993), Mark E. Wojcik, Michael Osty

Mark E. Wojcik

No abstract provided.

Promoting “Academic Entrepreurship” In Europe And The United States: Creating An Intellectual Property Regime To Facilitate The Efficient Transfer Of Knowledge From The Lab To The Patient, Constance Bagley, Christina Tvarno

Constance E. Bagley

In 2014, the European Commission announced the launch of a study of knowledge transfer by public research organizations and other institutes of higher learning “to determine which additional measures might be needed to ensure an optimal flow of knowledge between the public research organisations and business thereby contributing to the development of the knowledge based economy.” As the European Commission has recognized, the EU needs to take action to “unlock the potential of IPRs [intellectual property rights] that lie dormant in universities, research institutes and companies.” This article builds on our earlier work on structuring efficient pharmaceutical public-private partnerships (PPPPs) …

Ip Piracy & Developing Nations: A Recipe For Terrorism Funding, Brandy G. Robinson

Brandy G Robinson

When events such as 9/11 hit the U.S., no one thought that terrorists funded these activities through intellectual property piracy. On the surface, intellectual property (IP) piracy and terrorism are two distant topics. However, these topics are not distant but closely connected, as terrorist groups thrive on IP piracy, especially in developing nations, which has led to successful terrorist funding opportunities. Because IP piracy evades normal detection and developing nations do not thoroughly understand it, terrorist groups gravitate towards IP piracy for funding, which presents a distinct global dilemma.

Intellectual property rights and laws, namely criminal enforcement mechanisms, are essential …

Toward A State-Centric Cyber Peace? Analyzing The Role Of National Cybersecurity Strategies In Enhancing Global Cybersecurity, Scott J. Shackelford, Andraz Kastelic

Scott Shackelford

There is a growing consensus that nations bear increasing responsibility for enhancing cybersecurity. A related recent trend has been the adoption of long-term strategic plans to help deter, protect, and defend against cyber threats. These national cybersecurity strategies outline a nation’s core values and goals in the realm of cybersecurity law and policy, from mitigating cybercrime and espionage to preparing for cyber warfare. This Article assesses the notion that nations bear the primary responsibility for managing cyber attacks and mitigating cybercrime by analyzing thirty-four national cybersecurity strategies as a vehicle to discover governance trends that could give rise to customary …