This book is the result of a long-term comparative research project on intellectual property. It unearths the thought patterns which are culturally, morally and historically imprinted across Europe and questions the common narratives of the distinctiveness of private and public law, contracts and property, and morality and the law.

This book looks back on 25 years of pioneering EU trade mark practice, as viewed by various experts from all over Europe. The first two contributions focus on the EUIPO's convergence efforts with the national trade mark offices and the impact of EU case law on national trade mark practice, respectively. The evolution of the EU trade mark system is further addressed through a wide variety of subjects of substantive law. The last chapter offers ...

Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in the EU Member States provides a timely overview and thorough analysis of intellectual property rights enforcement in the EU Member States.

This rise of a particular kind of European Union legislation known as the ‘optional instrument’ is a novel trend in the context of EU law, and one that until now has not been comprehensively mapped or explored. This study examines and discusses existing and proposed EU Optional Instruments (OIs) in different fields of European law, including company law, intellectual property law and procedural law (such as the European Company, the Community ...

This book considers the challenges of creating appropriate intellectual property frameworks in developing economies. It focuses on the small island states of the Pacific region to explore and illustrate the many dilemmas, drawing together considerations of policy, theories of development and law, and empirical studies to suggest solutions and possible strategies.

The protection of the knowledge and practises of local and indigenous groups has been discussed in various forums in recent times. International agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity address the importance of protecting traditional knowledge and practises, This book examines traditional knowledge protection in the area of traditional medical knowledge, often utilised in contemporary medicine, and consequently subject to pat...