Subjects:

Intellectual Property Law

Contents:

1. Introduction: why databases have become an important issue

The structure of the book

2. Some basic principles

Basic copyright principles concerning databases

Principles of unfair competition

Contract law and databases

Competition law

3. Protection of databases in the EU

The history of the directive

4. Transposition of the directive

Belgium

France

Germany

Italy

Ireland

Netherlands

Spain

Sweden

United Kingdom

Transposition of directive 96/9/EC in member states of the EU

5. Protection of databases in the United States of America

The nature and history of the American tort of misappropriation

The legislative proposals for sui generis protection

The summary of the American position

6. International aspects of protection of databases

International agreements concerning copyright protection of databases

7. The appropriate model for the legal protection of databases

The argument in favour of sui generis protection

The non-economic roles of information

Some suggestions for protection of databases.

Mark Davison examines several legal models designed to protect databases, considering in particular the EU Directive, the history of its adoption and its transposition into national laws. He compares the Directive with a range of American legislative proposals, as well as the principles of misappropriation that underpin them. In addition, the book also contains a commentary on the appropriateness of the various models in the context of moves for an international agreement on the topic. This book will be of interest to academics and practitioners, including those involved with databases and other forms of new media.