Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property

1. Copyright

   • Improvements to be made
     • Press Release December 2012
       • Business Secretary Vince Cable
         • "Making the intellectual property framework fit for the 21st Century is not only common sense but good business sense"
       • Title: Consumers given more copyright freedom
       • Changes to create greater freedom of use include to allow copying of works for individuals own personal use, parody and for the purposes of quotation
         • Gov will also introduce a new, non statutory system for clarifying areas where there is confusion or misunderstanding
           • IOP will issue copyright notices that clarify the law
       • In response to the Hargreaves Review of IP and Growth published May 2011
   • The current UK law on copyright
     • Copyright, Patents and Designs Act 1988
   • First introduced in the Statute of Anne 1709

2. umbrella term to cover many times, including four main types designs, patents for inventions, trademarks for identification and copyright for literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works

3. Rationale: to reward labour (Locke), to encourage personal expression of the will (Hegel), Utilatarism - greatest good for greatest number (Bentham), Economic Efficiency (Landes and Posner)