Interested in climate change, patent policy, WIPO, or history of copyright? We have books for you!

With the prospect of summer holidays looming on the horizon and threatening to keep you away from IP matters for no less than a few days, publishers have come to the rescue with a number of new IP titles. JIPLP has received a constant stream of books over the last few months (a heartfelt thank you to all the publishers that provided their new books hot off the press) and has now received two further volumes that are ready to be reviewed. To volunteer for this rewarding task (at least in terms of IP knowledge and service to the IP community), please contact our managing editor, Sarah Harris (sarah.harris@oup.com), by Monday 20 June.

As always, if you are not already known to us, please attach a CV or tell us why you believe that you are qualified to review the book that you have asked to review. Reviewers will kindly be asked to complete their reviews within a short but reasonable time (normally, 60 days). Of course, reviewers get to keep the books!


Research Handbook on IP and Climate Change
Joshua D Sarnoff (ed.)
Edward Elgar

Written by a global group of leading scholars, this wide-ranging Research Handbook provides insightful analysis, useful historical perspective, and a point of reference on the controversial nexus of climate change law and policy, intellectual property law and policy, innovation policy, technology transfer, and trade.

The contributors provide a unique review of the scientific background, international treaties, and political and institutional contexts of climate change and intellectual property law. They further identify critical conflicts and differences of approach between developed and developing countries. Finally they put forward and analyse the relevant intellectual property law doctrines and policy options for funding, developing, disseminating, and regulating the required technologies and their associated activities and business practices.

http://www.e-elgar.com/shop/research-handbook-on-intellectual-property-and-climate-change

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Patents for Development
Nefissa Chakroun
Edward Elgar

This book investigates whether it is possible to execute the disclosed technologies just by reading the patent application. Nefissa Chakroun argues that while TRIPS Agreement obliges inventors to disclose full and complete disclosure, patent information users lack the capacity to fully utilise such information for their economic development. The book offers a critical analysis of the disclosure requirements of the patent system as well as an in-depth examination of the ways in accessing and retrieving patent information. Chakroun articulates proposals for strengthening the disclosure and methods for enhancing retrieval and exploitation of the technological knowledge, including an integrated policy on how patent information could be better utilised for development.
http://www.e-elgar.com/shop/patents-for-development

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The following books are still looking for a reviewer! Could it be you?

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WIPO: A reference guide
Carolyn Deere Birkbeck
Edward Elgar

Written by a leading WIPO commentator, The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO): A Reference Guide is the first comprehensive reference book to illuminate the nuts and bolts of WIPO governance. This practical guide offers a unique insight into how WIPO is governed, described in clear, readily accessible terms for policymakers, scholars and stakeholders. The Guide reviews the origins of WIPO and sets out its current functions and activities, presenting a framework for analysing WIPO’s complex governance system. The text is accompanied by a number of valuable appendices, including key documents that have to date not been readily available to the public.

http://www.e-elgar.com/shop/the-world-intellectual-property-organization-wipo

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Research Handbook on the history of copyright law
Isabella Alexander and H. Tomás Gómez-Arostegui (eds.)
Edward Elgar

There has been an explosion of interest in recent years regarding the origin and of intellectual property law. The study of copyright history, in particular, has grown remarkably in the last twenty years, with a flurry of activity in the last ten. This Handbook takes stock of the field of copyright history as it stands today, as well as examining potential developments in the future.

The contributions feature copyright and history experts from across the UK, Australia, the United States, France, Spain and Italy. Covering European, US and international copyright history and traversing from the 16th Century to the early 20th century, this book offers a broad survey of the field and a solid foundation for future research.

http://www.e-elgar.com/shop/the-history-of-copyright-law

JIPLP Special Edition on IP in Africa - Call for articles

JIPLP is issuing a call for articles for an upcoming special issue of the journal, dedicated to intellectual property perspectives from Africa. The special issue will be curated and edited by our consulting editor Marius Schneider, who has recently posted a call for articles on our LinkedIn page (if you are not yet a member, we would be happy to welcome you on our carefully moderated and ever-growing group, where you can find out about our latest initiatives and take part in informal IP-related discussions and debates - to join us, just click here).

We hope that many of you will consider contributing to our special issue, helping readers from other jurisdictions familiarise with IP in the African context, its challenges, successes and peculiarities.

JIPLP Editor Marius Schneider calls for articles for a special edition of the Journal on IP in Africa which is due to be published in early 2017. 
Africa – a continent of great dynamics and abundant creativity – is home to some of the fasted growing economies worldwide. The peer-reviewed Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice has a wide readership in Africa and so it has been decided to have a special issue on IP related subjects with a special focus on Africa. 
The special issue seeks to cover all areas of IP. Pan-African articles are welcomed and it would be great to have articles on subjects of concern for Africa, such as access to medicine; traditional knowledge; good governance, the rule of law and IP; or plant variety rights. We do also welcome proposals on other subjects. The articles should be approximately three to six thousand words long (although there is some flexibility) and in perfect English (if necessary authors are requested to call on a professional proof reader). Final articles must be submitted by 30 October 2016. 
Volunteers are invited to contact Marius by e-mail under office@ipvocateafrica.com to submit proposed subjects. Please do not yet write any articles without the approval of the Editor.

More books for review

JIPLP has some new books ready to be reviewed by our readers. If you would like to volunteer to review one of them, please contact our managing editor, Sarah Harris (sarah.harris@oup.com), by Friday 3 June. If you are not already known to us, please attach a CV or tell us why you believe that you are qualified to review the book that you have asked to review. Just a reminder that reviewers will kindly be asked to complete their reviews within a short but reasonable time (normally, 60 days). Of course, reviewers get to keep the books!

Deadline: Friday 3 June.

The books available for review are the following:


WIPO: A reference guide
Carolyn Deere Birkbeck
Edward Elgar

Written by a leading WIPO commentator, The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO): A Reference Guide is the first comprehensive reference book to illuminate the nuts and bolts of WIPO governance. This practical guide offers a unique insight into how WIPO is governed, described in clear, readily accessible terms for policymakers, scholars and stakeholders. The Guide reviews the origins of WIPO and sets out its current functions and activities, presenting a framework for analysing WIPO’s complex governance system. The text is accompanied by a number of valuable appendices, including key documents that have to date not been readily available to the public.

http://www.e-elgar.com/shop/the-world-intellectual-property-organization-wipo

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Research Handbook on the history of copyright law
Isabella Alexander and H. Tomás Gómez-Arostegui (eds.)
Edward Elgar

There has been an explosion of interest in recent years regarding the origin and of intellectual property law. The study of copyright history, in particular, has grown remarkably in the last twenty years, with a flurry of activity in the last ten. This Handbook takes stock of the field of copyright history as it stands today, as well as examining potential developments in the future.

The contributions feature copyright and history experts from across the UK, Australia, the United States, France, Spain and Italy. Covering European, US and international copyright history and traversing from the 16th Century to the early 20th century, this book offers a broad survey of the field and a solid foundation for future research.

http://www.e-elgar.com/shop/the-history-of-copyright-law

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Antitrust and patent law
Alan Devlin
OUP

This book explores the acquisition and use of patents under the law of the world's two most important antitrust regimes: the United States and the European Union. It examines antitrust rules governing technology transfer, standard-essential technologies, patent aggregation, open and closed systems, coercive licensing terms that amount to misuse, evergreening tactics in the pharmaceutical industry like 'paying for delay', and patentee immunity in suing for infringement. To contextualize that analysis, the book explores the theoretical relationship between patents and competition law, addresses the U.S. 'patent crisis', the move towards unitary patents in Europe, and differences between the US and EU competition regimes. Further, the book explores idiosyncrasies governing the core antitrust questions of market definition, market power, and anticompetitive conduct in the patent setting. In doing so, the book allows those who practice, enforce, teach, or study competition law to understand the subtleties of this fascinating subject.

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/antitrust-and-patent-law-9780198728979?cc=gb&lang=en&

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Trade mark law in Europe (3rd ed)
Alexander von Mühlendahl, Dimitris Botis, Spyros Maniatis, and Imogen Wiseman
OUP

Trade Marks in Europe is a comprehensive guide to European trade mark law following the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union and the case law of the General Court. It provides a wide-ranging overview of the trade mark system, including detailed and critical discussion of forthcoming changes, as well as an in-depth look at the life of a trade mark up to enforcement. It considers the conditions for maintaining a registration, the protection and enforcement of trade marks, and the interface between trade mark law and other areas of practice. Finally, it offers detailed and insightful analysis of current developments, challenges, and opportunities. This is complemented by an international and comparative approach which selectively considers the contemporary jurisprudence of the Supreme Court of the United States and general US practice, as well as national jurisprudence in areas not yet covered by the CJEU.


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The following book is still in search of a reviewer. It is the perfect summer read for an IP practitioner willing to explore the complex, but fascinating, world of saisie-contrefaçon in the context of French IP law.

Saisie-Contrefaçon - The French measure for gathering evidence of infringement of IP rights – Trilingual edition (German, English, French)
Pierre Véron (ed)
Dalloz

Specific to the intellectual property domain, the search and seizure procedure, saisie-contrefaçon, makes easy the search, descriptions and in some cases the actual seizure of allegedly infringing products. This powerful measure, specific to French law, is a priceless evidentiary tool for innovators and creators. This reference book studies all aspects of saisie-contrefaçon in detail: the rights allowing it, its limitations, outcomes and causes for invalidation. Written by practicing lawyers specializing in intellectual property, it contains numerous references to case law, abundant in this domain where many court cases are won or lost depending on how the saisie-contrefaçon is handled.

Four books (and one app) in search of a reviewer

If you fancy something to read over Easter, or simply wish to keep up with the latest IP scholarship, JIPLP is happy to provide you with some inspiration and a chance to try your hands at some book (and app) reviewing. Our latest batch of books includes an intriguing edited volume on trade mark transactions, an original overview of the crossroads between patent rights and access to science, an authoritative multilingual treatise on saisie-contrefaçon, and an edited collection of seminal IP essays.

If books are not your cup of tea, or if your interest in IP has a markedly technological side, a new patent-centric mobile app, VPATAPP, is also available for review. The app is freely available on Apple's App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android).

As usual, if you are interested in reviewing one of the books, or the mobile app, please contact our managing editor, Sarah Harris (sarah.harris@oup.com), by close of play on Thursday 24 March. If you have not collaborated with JIPLP before, please attach a CV or tell us why you believe that you are qualified to review your chosen book or app.


Deadline: Thursday 24 March.

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App title: VPATAPP

Freely available for Android and iOS devices:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.gunadhya.vpatapp&hl=en (Android)
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vpatapp/id1072275002?mt=8 (iOS)

This tiny app provides quick links for 1. Worldwide Patent law firms directory; 2. Worldwide patent blogs from different regions like USA, Europe, BRIC, Latin America, Africa, and Asia-pacific including India; 3. Journals in the area of Intellectual Property Law especially patents; 4. Weekly or monthly official gazettes or registers published by different patent offices across the world; 5. Patent classification systems; 6. Patent search websites available from patent offices across the world; 7. Updated full text patent acts of different countries as published by the patent offices or WIPO; 8. Worldwide full time LLM/Masters/ Graduate courses in IP; 9. Links for Supplementary Protection Certificates across different European countries.

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Title: The Law and Practice of Trademark Transactions: A Global and Local Outlook

Editors: Irene Calboli, Jacques De Werra

Publisher: Edward Elgar

The Law and Practice of Trademark Transactions is a comprehensive analysis of the law governing trademark transactions in a variety of legal and business contexts, and from a range of jurisdictional and cross-border perspectives. After mapping out the international legal framework applicable to trademark transactions, the book provides an analysis of important strategic considerations, including: tax strategies; valuation; portfolio splitting; registration of security interests; choice-of-law clauses; trademark coexistence agreements, and dispute resolution mechanisms.

Further information is available from the book's web page here.


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Title: Kritika: Essays on Intellectual Property, Vol 1

Editors: Peter Drahos, Gustavo Ghidini and Hanns Ullrich

Publisher: Edward Elgar

The field of intellectual property has broadened and deepened in so many ways, and at such pace, that there is a tendency for academic commentators to focus on the next new thing, or to react immediately to judicial developments, rather than to reflect more deeply on the greater themes of the discipline. The Kritika: Essays on Intellectual Property series is a series of books that are designed to fulfill this role by creating a forum for essays that take a critical, long-term approach to the field of intellectual property. Breaking down the barriers of specialization, and laying the foundation for an emergent critical scholarship, this first book in the series brings together the leading scholars in the field to reflect deeply on the current state and future of their discipline.

Further information is available from the book's web page here.


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Title: Patents, Human Rights and Access to Science

Author: Aurora Plomer

Publisher: Edward Elgar

The new millennium has been described as ‘the century of biology’, but scientific progress and access to medicines has been marred by global disputes over ownership of the science by universities and private companies. This book examines the challenges posed by the modern patent system to the right of everyone to access the benefits of science in international law.

Further information is available from the book's web page here.


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Title: Saisie-Contrefaçon - The French measure for gathering evidence of infringement of IP rights – Trilingual edition (German, English, French)

Directed by: Pierre Véron

Publisher: Dalloz

Specific to the intellectual property domain, the search and seizure procedure, saisie-contrefaçon, makes easy the search, descriptions and in some cases the actual seizure of allegedly infringing products. This powerful measure, specific to French law, is a priceless evidentiary tool for innovators and creators.
This reference book studies all aspects of saisie-contrefaçon in detail: the rights allowing it, its limitations, outcomes and causes for invalidation. Written by practicing lawyers specializing in intellectual property, it contains numerous references to case law, abundant in this domain where many court cases are won or lost depending on how the saisie-contrefaçon is handled.

Further information is available from the book's web page here.


Editorial: The European patent with unitary effect - what about unitary criminal sanctions for infringement?

In the March Editorial, JIPLP editorial board member Karsten Königer reflects on the availability of criminal sanctions for infringement of European patents with unitary effect. Karsten argues that, even if differences exist between the applicable national laws, it is unclear whether the lack of unitary criminal sanctions will have significant negative effects on the uniform patent protection that the Unitary Patent Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 1257/2012) seeks to introduce. Could this be the right occasion to re-evaluate the effectiveness of criminal sanctions for patent infringement, moving towards their unitary abolition?
"Readers of EU Regulation No 1257/2012, which might enter into force someday, learn that certain European patents granted by the European Patent Office should, at the request of the patent proprietor, benefit from ‘unitary effect’. Such a ‘European patent with unitary effect’ shall provide ‘uniform protection’ and shall have ‘equal effect in all the participating Member States’. However, as far as I can see, neither the EU Regulation nor any other part of the ‘EU patent package’ deals with the question of criminal measures in case of infringement. This, in my view, does not mean that infringement of a European patent with unitary effect could not have criminal consequences. According to Article 2 of the European Patent Convention, a European patent shall, in each of the contracting States for which it is granted, have the effect of a national patent granted by that State. Therefore, the national criminal law provisions that apply in case of infringement of a national patent should also apply in case of infringement of a European patent with unitary effect. However, the penal sanctions differ from State to State. 
In Germany, according to the statute, intentional patent infringement may be punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment. In the UK, as I understand it, patent infringement is not a criminal offence. This means that the infringement of a European patent with unitary effect in Germany could be a crime, whereas the identical infringing act in the UK would have no criminal consequences. Does this mean that the European patent with unitary effect cannot provide the intended ‘uniform protection’ after all? Is the UK a better place for patent infringers than Germany because infringers in the UK are not subject to criminal sanctions? I cannot say. 
In 2001, when the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) studied the question of criminal law sanctions (Q169), the UK group of the AIPPI was of the opinion that penal sanctions should not be extended to patents (AIPPI UK Group Report Q169). Apparently, it is not at all clear whether or not the imposition of criminal liability on patent infringers enhances protection.  
In Germany, the practical impact of criminal sanctions is very low. I have not heard or read of any case of imprisonment. One reason might be that patent proprietors seldom file a request for criminal prosecution because they do not expect to achieve anything that could not be achieved - or achieved more quickly - by civil proceedings. Criminal prosecution can take a long time. This is probably because public prosecutors, due to the low number of cases, have little experience in patent matters which are typically technically and legally complex. In addition, proof of wilful intent can be difficult.  
However, there have been cases in Germany in which a request for criminal prosecution - justified or not justified - has caused a lot of trouble for the alleged infringer because alleged infringing products have been seized, especially during trade fairs in Germany. However, I doubt whether such cases are a good argument in favour of imposing criminal liability because it appears to me that the more appropriate measure of the patentee would be a request for a preliminary injunction or for a measure to preserve evidence by a civil court. 
The proprietors of patents in Germany do not seem to need an additional deterrent under criminal law in order to enhance protection. Therefore, I would assume that the abolishment of criminal liability for patent infringement would not have a noticeable effect. 
The differences within the EU lead to the question of harmonisation. According to Article 61 of the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement), World Trade Organization (WTO) members shall provide penal sanctions in cases of certain wilful trade mark counterfeiting or copyright piracy. WTO members may provide for criminal sanctions for patent infringement, but they are not obliged to do so. In 2005, the European Commission proposed a Directive on criminal measures (2005/0127/COD) which also applied to patents. However, in 2007, the European Parliament agreed that such a directive should not apply to patents. Finally, in 2010, the European Commission communicated the complete withdrawal of the proposal. 
The birth of the European patent with unitary effect and the hopefully effective Unified Patent Court system is a good time to reconsider harmonising the penal sanctions for patent infringement in Europe - maybe by abolishing them unitarily."

Books for review

JIPLP has received four new books that are eagerly awaiting to be reviewed. If you would like to volunteer to review one of them, finding out what makes it interesting, compelling or superfluous, please contact our managing editor, Sarah Harris, at sarah.harris@oup.com, by Sunday 6 March. If you are not already known to us, please attach a CV or tell us why you believe that you are qualified to review the book that you have asked to review.

Please consider your commitments and availability before volunteering, as you will be asked to complete your review within a short but reasonable time (normally, 60 days). Reviewing a book can be a time consuming activity, but you are rewarded by the gratitude of authors and publishers, who benefit from constructive feedback and widespread awareness of their work, and of our readers, who rely on your objective advice to discover new and exciting books. Of course, reviewers get to keep the books (just in case you are after a more material reward...).

Deadline: Sunday 6 March.

The books available for review are the following:



Title: Governance of IP Rights in China and Europe

Editors: Nari Lee, Niklas Bruun and Mingde Li

Publisher: Edward Elgar

Intellectual property law performs a number of complex functions in society. To foster innovation and creativity in a society, governments are actively using intellectual property law as a means of governance. Both in China and in Europe, intellectual property law is used to further innovation and cultural policies to increase national competitiveness in a global economy. Due to its impact on global trade, intellectual property laws are increasingly made and influenced by international norms. Against the backdrop of this dynamic global intellectual property norm competition and interaction, this book explores governance of intellectual property rights in China and Europe. This book examines and compares the series of intellectual property law and system reforms in China and Europe. Through the analysis, this book argues that a successful governance of intellectual property rights require not only the adoption of a set of norms but also transformation of the perspectives and the implementing institutions.

Further information is available from the book's web page here.


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Title: Patent Enforcement Worldwide: Writings in Honour of Dieter Stauder (third edition)

Editor: Christopher Heath

Publisher: Hart

This book features 15 country reports on the patent enforcement practice of the world’s most litigated countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Litigation strategies for both right owners and alleged infringers are explained against the background of case law on: types of action, standing to sue, jurisdiction, obtaining evidence, provisional and final measures, trial practice, types of infringement, remedies and counterclaims, costs and issues of retrial, threats and wrongful enforcement. Special chapters cover the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Agreement provisions on enforcement, enforcement issues in the European Community, international cross-border litigation and border measures.

Further information is available from the book's web page here.


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Title: Indigenous IP: A Handbook of Contemporary Research

Editor: Matthew Rimmer

Publisher: Edward Elgar

This Handbook considers the international struggle to provide for proper and just protection of Indigenous intellectual property. Leading scholars consider legal and policy controversies over Indigenous knowledge in the fields of international law, copyright law, trademark law, patent law, trade secrets law, and cultural heritage. This collection examines national developments in Indigenous intellectual property from around the world. As well as examining the historical origins of conflicts over Indigenous knowledge, the volume examines new challenges to Indigenous intellectual property from emerging developments in information technology, biotechnology, and climate change.

Further information is available from the book's web page here.


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Title: Trade Secret Protection: A Global Guide

Editor: Trevor Cook

Publisher: Globe Law and Business

The wide variety of approaches to the protection of trade secrets internationally betrays the murky legal origins of such protection. Are they protected by civil actions, in the criminal courts or both? And from the point of view of the civil courts, is their protection effected under unfair competition law, as seen in many civil law countries, or is it based instead on some implied contract, fiduciary or other equitable obligation theory, as seen in common law countries?

Edited by leading IP practitioner Trevor Cook, this important title demystifies the law of trade secrets in over 30 jurisdictions, covering substantive and procedural aspects of both criminal and civil law and exploring the final remedies available. Designed to provide clear, comprehensive and practical guidance, this is a powerful tool for anyone requiring a broader and fuller understanding of trade secret protection globally.

Further information is available from the book's web page here.

March issue now available

The March issue of JIPLP is now available online here. If you are not a subscriber (for more information, see our subscription page), you can still read any content of your choice by purchasing short term access, directly on JIPLP's website (just select the content you are interested in and you will be presented with various options to gain access). As always, additional content is continuously made available online through Advance Access, so you can keep up with the latest IP scholarship even before inclusion in future JIPLP issues.

This is our Table of Contents for the new issue (the Editorial will be posted in full soon):


Editorial

Current Intelligence

Articles

From GRUR Int.

IP in Review